111
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1
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
LIST OF PREVIOUS WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
THE RIVER CONGO, FROM ITS MOUTH TO BOLOBO
THE KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION
THE LIFE OF A SLAVE
THE LIFE OF LIVINGSTONE
•ONI WARRIOR
\ . S> N-
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
AN ATTEMPT TO GIVE SOME ACCOUNT OF A PORTION OF
THE TERRITORIES UNDER BRITISH INFLUENCE
NORTH OF THE ZAMBEZI
By
SIR HARRY H. JOHNSTON, K.C.B,
F.Z.S., F.R.G.S., F.R.S.G.S., FELLOW OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
ROYAL COLONIAL INSTITUTE, ETC.
H.M. COMMISSIONER AND CONSUL-GENERAL IN BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
WITH SIX MAPS AND 220 ILLUSTRATIONS
REPRODUCED FROM THE AUTHOR'S DRAWINGS OR F2OM PHOTOGRAPHS
NEW YORK
EDWARD ARNOLD
70, FIFTH AVENUE
1897
3 0 1959
DEDICATION
WHATEVER MAY BE WORTHY OF PRAISE IN THIS BOOK
I DEDICATE 'TO MY COMRADES IN BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED
IN A MANFUL STRUGGLE —
CAPTAIN CECIL MAGUIRE, DR. SORABJI BOYCE, JOHN KYDD
J. G. BAIXBRIDGE
LIEUT. S. ARGYLL GILLMORE, ALFRED PEILE
L. M. FOTHERINGHAM, JOHN BUCHANAN, G. HAMPDEN
CHARLES A. GRAY, H. BRIGHTON
GILBERT STEVENSON, J. G. KING, J. L. NICOLL
EDWARD ALSTON, AND LIEUT.-COLONEL C. A. EDWARDS—
AND TO THE ACCEPTANCE OF THOSE
STILL LIVING AND WORKING
IN THE SERVICE OF QUEEN AND COMPANY
WHO HAVE WROUGHT WITH ME SINCE 1889 IN THE
BUILDING UP OF THIS CINDERELLA AMONG THE PROTECTORATES
PREFACE
NORTH of the Zambezi and in the South Central portion of the continent
of Africa, bounded on the north by Lake Tanganyika and the Congo
Free State, on the north-east by German East Africa, on the east, south-east
and west by Portuguese possessions, lies what is now termed British Central
Africa, Protectorate and Sphere of Influence. The Sphere of Influence is
much larger than the actual Protectorate, which is chiefly confined to the
districts bordering on Lake Nyasa and on the river Shire. The Sphere of
Influence is at present administered under the Charter of the British South
Africa Company ; the Protectorate has always been administered directly
under the Imperial Government from the time of its inception. Circumstances
were so ordered that I happened to be the chief agent in bringing all this
territory, directly or indirectly, under British Influence, both on behalf of the
Imperial Government and of the Chartered Company; and though I was
ably seconded by Mr. Alfred Sharpe (now Her Majesty's Deputy Com-
missioner), the late Mr. Joseph Thomson, Mr. J. L. Nicoll, and Mr. A. J.
Swann, it lay with me to propose a name, a geographical and political term
for the mass of territory thus secured as a dependency of the British
Empire.
On the principle that it is disastrous to a dog's interest to give him a
bad name, it should be equally true that much is gained at the outset of
any enterprise by bestowing on it a promising title. I therefore chose that of
" British Central Africa " because I hoped the new sphere of British influence
might include much of Central Africa where, at the time these deeds were
done, the territories of Foreign Powers were in a state of flux, no hard and
fast boundaries having been determined ; therefore by fair means Great Britain's
share north of the Zambezi might be made to connect her Protectorate on
the Upper Nile with her Empire south of the Zambezi.
viii PREFACE
Treaties indeed were obtained which advanced British Territory from the
south end to the north end of Lake Tanganyika, where the British flag was
planted at the request of the natives by Mr. Swann in the spring of 1890;
but the said Treaties arrived too late for them to be taken into consideration at
the time the Anglo-German Convention was drawn up.
Consequently all our Government could do was to secure from Germany a
right of way across the intervening strip of territory; and the boundaries
of German East Africa and of the Congo Free State were henceforth con-
terminous in the district immediately north of Tanganyika.
Similarly the agents of the King of the Belgians were able to make good
their claims to the country west and south-west of Tanganyika. Therefore
British Central Africa did not ultimately attain the geographical limits to which
I had originally aspired, and which would have amply justified its title. I
write this in (perhaps needless) apology for a name, which after all is a fairly
correct designation of a territory in the South Central portions of the continent
separated by several hundred miles from the East or West Coasts and
stretching up to the equatorial regions. An almost exact geographical parallel
to the British Central Africa Protectorate is the State of Paraguay in South
America; which, like British Central Africa, has only free access to the sea
by the course of a navigable river under international control.
This book, however, will deal only with that Eastern portion of British
Central Africa which has more or less come within my personal experience,
that is to say it is principally confined to the regions bordering on Lakes
Tanganyika and Nyasa and the River Shire.
Although for seven years I have been connected with these countries, and
have been gathering notes all that time, it is not to be supposed for a moment
that the results of my work which I now publish deal more than partially with
the many aspects and problems of this small section of Central Africa. The
careful reader will be conscious of gaps in my knowledge; but I think he
will not find his time wasted by vague generalisations. Such information as I
have to give is definite and practical. During my present leave of absence
I have deemed it wise to gather together and publish the information I
possess while an opportunity offered and before such information is useless
PREFACE
IX
or stale. Two years' more residence might have enabled me to answer to
my satisfaction many questions about which I am dubious, or of which I
know nothing. There will be room for specialists to take up many sections
of my book, and using, perhaps, this arrangement of material as a basis, to-
correct and supplement the statements I have made.
MY TABLE IN THE WILDERNESS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
IT gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the help I have received from many friends
and acquaintances in the production of this book. Sir Thomas Sanderson, K.C.B.,
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has revised the proofs for me ;
and Sir Clement Hill, K.C.M.G., and the African Department of the Foreign Office
have enabled me to obtain information on various subjects ; Mr. Alfred Sharpe,
H.M. Deputy Commissioner and Consul for British Central Africa, has given me
from time to time interesting notes, and has taken a number of photographs for the
special purposes of the book ; Mr. J. B. Yule, B.C.A.A., of the North Nyasa district,
has lent me many of his photographs and has supplied me with information on native
manners and customs; Dr. David Kerr Cross, M.B., has allowed me to use his
valuable notes on Anthropology and the Diseases prevalent among Europeans and
natives; Mr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., Secretary of the Zoological Society, has rendered me
great help in preparing the chapters on Zoology, to which also Mr. Oldfield Thomas,
Dr. A. G. Butler, Mr. W. F. Kirby and other officials of the British Museum of Natural
History, and Mr. W. E. de Winton, F.Z.S., have contributed information. Mr. Thiselton
Dyer, C.M.G., Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, on this occasion (as indeed on all
others when I have applied to him) has given his assistance with promptness and
cordiality. Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.S. (Principal scientific officer in British Central
Africa), has supplied me with much interesting information during six years ; Mr. J. F.
Cunningham, Secretary of the British Central Africa Administration, and Mr. Wm.
Wheeler, Chief accountant to the same, have obtained for me photographs and informa-
tion under many heads ; the Rev. D. C. Ruffele-Scott, B.D. (of the Church of Scotland
Mission, Blantyre), collected five vocabularies for me : I have found his dictionary of
the Ci-nyanja (Chi-mafianja) language a useful book of reference. The proprietors of
the Graphic have been very kind in permitting the reproduction in these pages of certain
drawings which originally appeared in one or other of their journals. Mr. Fred Moir,
the Secretary to the African Lakes Company, placed his photographs at my disposal and
helped rne in various ways. The Rev. A. G. B. Glossop, M.A., Mr. R. Webb, and Miss
Palmer, of the Universities Mission, have been particularly kind in obtaining and
lending photographs. I have also derived much information from the notes and
reports of the late Lieut-Colonel C. A. Edwards, of Commander Percy Cullen, Captain
\V. H. Manning, and Messrs. J. E. McMaster, A. J. Swann, R. Codrington, H. A.
Hillier, J. O. Bowhill, the late J. L. Nicoll and Gilbert Stevenson, H. C. McDonald,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi
I. McClounie, Donald Malloch, and the late E. G. Alston, of the British Central Africa
Administration ; while I have also to acknowledge the loan of photographs from Messrs.
E. Harrhy, the late Gilbert Stevenson, Commander Percy Cullen, and many others.
A special mention should be made of the valuable Appendix to my chapter on
" The Botany of British Central Africa " — the list of all the known species of plants
collected there from 1859 to the present day. This list has been prepared for
inclusion in my book, under the direction of Mr. Thiselton Dyer, by Mr. I. H.
Burkill, U.A., a member of the Scientific Staff at Ke\v.
It will be seen from this long list of persons to whom I am indebted for information
that my book represents the summing-up of others' researches as well as of my own, and
that if praise be awarded to the book, as to the seven years' work of which it is the
record, that praise must be fairly distributed among many workers. It is pleasant to
me to think that one of my collaborators in this work is a native of British Central
Africa.
H. H. JOHNSTON.
ORTHOGRAPHY
THE orthography of native words and names used throughout this book (except
in the Vocabularies) is that of the Royal Geographical Society. All the
consonants are pronounced as in English (except "n," which stands for the nasal
sound in "tinging"), and the vowels as in Italian. Where the spelling of an
African name is established in a European language it is not altered : Examples —
Congo (Kongo), Mozambique (Msambiki), Quelimane (Keliman).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE
1
II. .
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY . . .
35
APPENDIX I .
ANALYSIS OF NYASALAND COAL . . ...
51
CHAPTER III.
HISTORY . . . . .
52
IV. .
THE FOUNDING OF THE PROTECTORATE
80
APPENDIX I .
THE PRESENT METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION
152
CHAPTER V.
THE SLAVE TRADE . . . ...
155
„ VI. .
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS . . . .
1 60
APPENDIX I .
BILIOUS H/EMOGLOBINURIC OR " BLACK- WATER " FEVER
184
o
,, ~ .
HINTS ON OUTFIT . . . ...
185
CHAPTER VII. .
MISSIONARIES . . . .
189
VIII. .
BOTANY . . . . ...
207
APPENDIX I .
THE USEFUL FOREST TREES OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
227
„ 2 .
A LIST OF THE KNOWN PLANTS OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA .
233
CHAPTER IX.
ZOOLOGY . . . . ...
285
APPENDIX I .
LIST OF KNOWN MAMMALS OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA .
322
„ 2 .
REGULATIONS FOR PRESERVING BIG GAME
326
3 •
LIST OF KNOWN BIRDS . . . ...
347
4 •
LIST OF KNOWN REPTILES, BATRACHIANS, AND FISH
361
5 •
LIST OF KNOWN LAND SHELLS, MOLLUSCA, ETC.
363
6 .
LIST OF KNOWN SPIDERS, CENTIPEDES, ETC.
365
» 7 •
LIST OF KNOWN ORTHOPTERA, ETC. . ...
380
8 .
LIST OF KNOWN LEPIDOPTERA . . ...
381
» 9 •
LIST OF KNOWN COLEOPTERA . . ...
385
CHAPTER X.
THE NATIVES OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA .
389
APPENDIX I .
DISEASES OF THE NATIVES OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA .
473
CHAPTER XI.
LANGUAGES . . . . ...
479
APPENDIX I .
VOCABULARIES . . . ...
488
INDEX
.
533
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Frontispiece
Vignette on Title-page
TITLE
An Angoni Warrior
Portrait of the Author .
ix " My table in the wilderness " . .
2 Borassus Palms on the Shire . ...
3 Tropical Vegetation on the banks of the Shire
5 The Leopard's resting-place : a mountain stream in
Central Africa . . ...
7 A Tree Fern . . ...
8 " The Genius of the Woods" (green Turaco)
9 A Bamboo Thicket . . ...
10 "Jack in the Beanstalk's" Country
1 1 On the Plateau . . ...
12 The Mlanje Cedar Forests . ...
13 A Mlanje Mountain . . ...
14 A Rock Garden on Mlanje . ...
15 Papyrus Marsh and Saddle-billed Storks
22 The "Sultan's Baraza" . . . .
25 Mount Kapemba, Tanganyika . ...
26 On Tanganyika . . ...
32 Xiamkolo : South end of Tanganyika
33 " His Last Fight " . . . . .
35 Forest on Mount Cholo, British Central Africa .
36 The Mlanje Range, seen from Zomba after rainfall
37 Native Clearing in Forest Country
38 The Shire at Chikwawa, just below the Murchison
Falls . . . ...
39 Pinda Mountain and Pinda Marsh, Lower Shire.
40 Part of the Falls of the Ruo at Zoa
41 A Mountain Stream in Central Africa
42 First View of Mlanje Mountain from the Lower Shire
43 On the Upper Ruo . . ...
45 The Mlanje Range from the Tuchila Plain
46 Chambi Peak, Mlanje . ...
47 The Likubula Gorge, Mlanje . ...
48 On Lake Nyasa . . ...
49 The Lichenya River, Mlanje . ...
50 The Shire Highlands . . ...
53 Portrait of a Young Bushman . ...
57 Governor's House, Tete . ...
58 The Island of Mozambique, seen from the Mainland .
SOURCE
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Miss Kate Pragnell,
" The Lady Photographers," Sloane
Street, S/W.
Photograph by the Author.
If >» »J
Drawing by the Author.
Painting by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Painting by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by Mr. Alfred Sharpe.
Photograph by Mr. Fred. M. Moir.
Painting by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by the Author.
»» » »
From a photograph.
» »
Drawing by the Author.
XVI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE TITLE
61 The Point on the South Shore of Lake Nyasa whence
the Lake was first seen by Dr. Livingstone and
Sir John Kirk in 1859 . ...
67 Mandala House, near Blantyre.
72 L. Monteith Fotheringham . ...
72 John Lowe Nicoll . . ...
73 Group of Wankonde (North Nyasa)
74 John W. Moir . . ...
74 Frederick Maitland Moir . ...
75 Mr. Alfred Sharpe in 1890 . ...
79 On the Chinde, Mouth of the Zambezi .
83 Sergeant-Major Ali Kiongwe . ...
85 Mr. John Buchanan . . ...
87 Masea and Mwitu, two of Livingstone's Makololo
91 Outskirts of Kotakota . ...
92 The late Tawakali Sudi ; Jumbe of Kotakota, etc.
93 North Nyasa Arabs : Bvvana 'Omari in the foreground
95 Langenburg, Capital of German Nyasaland . .
98 Sikh Soldiers of the Contingent now serving in British
Central Africa . . ...
99 H.M.S. Mosquito, a Zambezi Gunboat
101 Fort Johnston in 1895 • • • •
103 Captain Cecil Montgomery Maguire
107 Mr. William Wheeler . ...
109 Mr. Nicoll's House at Fort Johnston
no Trees planted by Mr. Nicoll at Fort Johnston (two
years' growth) . . ...
in The Nyasa Gunboats in Nkata Bay, West Nyasa
112 Lake Road, Chiromo . ...
1 14 The Katunga Road in pre-Administration Days
1 15 Captain Sclater's Road to Katunga in process of
making . . ...
1 16 Mr. J. F. Cunningham . ...
1 18 Lieut.-Colonel C. A. Edwards . ...
1 19 A Sikh Soldier in the B.C.A. uniform
1 19 A Sikh Soldier in fighting kit . . .
1 20 A Sikh Soldier in fighting kit . ...
1 20 Sikh Soldier in undress . .
121 Collector's House at Fort Lister
122 Captain W. H. Manning . ...
123 The Raphia Palm Marsh hehind Chiwaura's
125 On the Beach at Monkey Bay . ...
126 One of Makanjira's Captured Daus at Monkey Bay .
127 The Hoisting of the Flag at Fort Maguire
129 The Beach at Makanjira's . ...
130 Three of Makanjira's Captured Daus (Fort Maguire)
131 A Rural Post Office, B.C.A. . ...
132 Watch Tower at Fort Johnston
133 A Sikh Sergeant-Major of the B.C.A. Contingent
134 Native Soldiers, B.C.A. . ...
135 An Atonga Soldier
136 In Zarafi's Town
Photograph by Mr. E. Harrhy.
Photograph by Mr. Fred. M. Moir.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
» » »
Photograph by the Author.
From a photograph.
» »
Photograph by Mr. Fred. M. Moir.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by Commander Percy
Cullen.
Photograph by Mr. J. Trotter.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
From a photograph.
Photograph by the Author.
From a photograph.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. R. Webb.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph
Stevenson.
by the late Gilbert
Photograph by Mr. E. Harrhy.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by the late Gilbert
Stevenson.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
» » »
Photograph by the Author.
» » »
Photograph by Rev. A. G. B. Glossop.
Photograph by Mr. E. Harrhy.
Photograph by Rev. A. G. B. Glossop.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph by the Author.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
xvn
PAGE TITLE
137 Deep Bay Station . . ...
138 Mlozi, Chief of the North Nyasa Arabs
139 The Transports on their way to Karonga arriving- in
Likoma Bay . . ...
141 A corner of Mlozi's Stockade . ...
142 The Nyasa-Tanganyika Road (made by the B.C. A.
Administration) . . ...
143 The Nyasa-Tanganyika Road . ...
144 In Fort Hill . . ...
145 The Stockade, Fort Hill . ...
146 Mr. Alfred Sharpe in 1896 . ...
147 The Zomba-Mlanje Road . ...
148 A Footbridge across the Mlungusi (Zomba)
150 The Gardens of the Residency, Zomba .
151 Mr. Whyte in the Gardens at Zomba
153 Barracks at Fort Johnston . ...
156 A Swahili Slave-trader . ...
157 Arab and Swahili Slave-traders captured by the
B.C. A. Forces . . ...
158 A "Ruga-Ruga" (Mnyamwezi, Slave-raider employed
by the Arabs) . . ...
161 The Consulate, Blantyre . ...
162 A Coffee Tree in bearing . ...
163 A Planter's temporary House . ...
165 Morambala Mount from the River Shire .
167 Sharrer's Store at Katunga . ...
169 A " Capitao " . . ...
172 In Camp after a day's shooting
174 Natives making Bricks . ...
175 Cyprus Avenue, Blantyre . ...
176 Eucalyptus Avenue . . ...
177 A Planter . . . ...
178 An Ivory Caravan arriving at Kotakota
181 Ivory at Mandala Store (African Lakes Co.)
182 Kahn & Co.'s Trading Store at Kotakota
191 (i) Bishop Hornby (formerly of Nyasaland). (2) The
late Bishop Maples of Likoma
194 Native Church at Msumba, Lake Nyasa (Universities
Mission) . . . ...
199 Blantyre Church (Church of Scotland Mission)
207 Flowers of the Gardenia Tree . ...
208 Lissochihis Orchids . . ...
209 An Angnecum Orchis. . ...
210 The Ansellia or " Tiger " Orchis
211 A Red Lily . . . ...
212 Oil Palms near the Songwe River, North Nyasa
212 A Raphia Palm . . ...
213 Raphia Palm Fruiting . ...
214 Bonissus Palms . . ...
214 Wild Date Palms . . ...
215 A Reed Brake (Phmginites coin munis) .
217 Plumes and Young Shoot of Phragniitcs.
218 Barbed Seeds of Stipa . ...
SOURCE
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Photograph by Miss Palmer.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by the Author.
» » u
Photograph by Mr. Win. Wheeler.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Photograph by Mr. E. Harrhy.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph by Mr. Alfred Sharpe.
Drawing by the Author.
From a photograph.
Photograph by the late Gilbert
Stevenson.
Photograph by Mr. E. Harrhy.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J.F. Cunningham.
From a photograph.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
From a photograph.
Photograph by Miss Palmer.
Photograph by Mr. R. Webb.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
» » )>
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Alfred Sharpe.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
XV111
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE TITLE
218 Papyrus . . . .
218 A Large Duckweed (Pistia stratiotes)
219 An Albizsia Tree . . ...
220 The Mucuna Bean . . ...
221 A Baobab Tree . . ...
222 The Euphorbia of the Plains . ...
222 Candelabra Euphorbias . ...
223 A Landolphia Liana . . ...
224 Sansevieria Fibre Plant . ...
225 Growth cf Branches ; Foliage ; and Cones of the
Mlanje Cedar ( Widdringtonia whytei) .
226 Young- Mlanje Cedar . . ...
290 A Spotted Hyena . . ...
293 The Central African Zebra. .' ...
297 Head of a Hippopotamus . ...
299 A Wart Hog- . . ...
302 Head of a Buffalo . . ...
303 Horns of Congo Buffalo . ...
304 Livingstone's Eland . . ...
305 Horns of Livingstone's Eland . ...
306 A Male Bushbuck . . ...
307 Head of a Male Kudu . ...
310 Diagram showing origin and relationships of modern
groups of Horned Ruminants
311 A Klipspringer . . ...
312 A Male Reedbuck . . ...
312 A Male Reedbuck's Head . ...
313 A Male Waterbuck . . ...
314 A Female Waterbuck . . ...
315 The Sable Antelope . . ...
318 A Roan Antelope . . ...
319 Johnston's Pallah . . ...
320 The Nyasaland Gnu (Connochcetes taurinus johnstoni)
329 The Elephant Marsh . ...
335 The Syndactylous Foot . ...
338 Spur-winged Geese . . ...
339 Crowned Cranes . . . ...
343 A Pelican of Tanganyika . ...
343 A Stilt Plover . . ...
344 Head and foot of Fruit-pigeon
345 The Warlike Crested Eagle (Spizcetus bellicosus)
346 A Small Falcon (Falco minor) . ...
357 Nyasa Crocodiles . . ...
360 Chromis squamipennis ; Hemichromis livingstonii:
Fish of Lake Nyasa . ...
361 Engraulicypris pinguis . ...
371 A Termite Ant-hill . . ...
372 A Stick Insect . . ...
373 A Locustid Insect . . ...
378 The Tsetse Fly . ...
388 An Angoni Man from the West Nyasa district .
390 A Mnyanja . . . ...
391 A Yao Man . . . ...
SOURCE
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Foulkes.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
From a photograph.
Drawing by the Author.
Engraving lent by the Zoological
Society.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Alfred Sharpe.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Drawing by the Author.
Zoological Society's Proceedings.
Photograph by Miss Palmer.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
xix
PAGE TITLE
393 An Arab of Tanganyika (Rumaliza)
395 A Mtonga Man (to show profile)
397 A Yao of the Upper Shire . ...
398 An Ang-oni from Mombera's country
399 Boy with well-developed breasts
400 A Young- Mother (showing pendent breasts)
401 Wankonde Men . . ...
403 A Munkonde from North Nyasa
405 Sketch of Muscular Development in a Yao
407 A Yao Woman . . ...
411 Young Munkonde Girl . . . .
414 A Mtonga Man . . ...
416 "A Good Mother " (Sketch of a Mnyanja woman)
420 A Yao of Zomba . . ...
421 A "Ruga-Ruga" . . ...
423 Specimens of Tatooing ; Comb ; Plugs for insertion
in ear, lips, nose, etc. . ...
424 Example of " Pelele" in upper lip
424 Another example of the " Pelele "
425 Wooden Hoe ; and wooden Hammer for beating out
bark cloth . . ...
427 North Nyasa Native smoking hemp
428 Banana Grove (Mlanje) . ...
431 Wankonde Cattle . . ...
433 The Domestic Goat of South and Central Africa
453 A typical Native House in South Nyasaland
454 A Nkonde House . . ...
457 Natives making a prone tree trunk into a canoe
457 A River Pilot . . ...
458 Weaving in Angoniland . ...
459 Weaving on the Nyasa-Tanganyika Plateau
460 Women making Pots . . ...
461 Pipes for hemp and tobacco . ...
462 Central African Weapons, etc. . ...
464 African Dancer and Drum Players
465 A Mu-lungu of South Tanganyika blowing ivory
trumpet . . . ...
467 A "Sansi " .
470 Angoni Warriors . . ...
470 Head stuck on a pole after a native war .
472 "Young Africa" . . ...
480 Map showing the lines of migration of the Bantu
tribes in their invasion of Southern Africa
MAPS
SOURCE
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Alfred Sharpe.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Photograph by Mr. J. B. Yule.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Wm. Wheeler.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Photograph by Mr. Yule.
Photograph by Mr. R. Webb.
Photograph by Mr. Fred Moir.
Photograph by Mr. Yule.
Drawing by the Author.
From a photograph.
Drawing by the Author from a
photograph by Mr. Yule.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by Mr. J. F.Cunningham.
Drawing by the Author.
Photograph by the late Gilbert
Stevenson.
Drawing by the Author.
i. Map of British Central Africa, showing approximate rainfall, naviga-
bility of rivers, etc.
2- showing Orographical features . . . .
3- showing Administrative divisions . . . .
4. Map of the Shire Highlands .....
5. Map of British Central Africa, showing density of population and
distribution of native tribes .....
6. showing Mission Stations and Foreign Settlers and Settlements .
To face page
'& %x>
J>* LIBRARY, ^
(( OCT 19 1897
,o >^TTL < Qj
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CHAPTER I.
BEFORE I begin to discourse on the dull facts of history and geography,
let me try to give my reader some idea of what the country looks like by
describing certain set scenes and panoramas. Perhaps from these he may
•derive a clearer impression of the general appearance and the many diverse
aspects of British Central Africa.
A steadily flowing river. In the middle of the stream an islet of very green
grass, so lush and so thick that there are no bright lights or sharp shadows —
simply a great splodge of rich green in the middle of the shining water which
reflects principally the whitish-blue of the sky ; though this general tint becomes
opaline and lovely as mother-of-pearl, owing to the swirling of the current and
the red-gold colour of the concealed sand-banks which in shallow places
permeates the reflections. Near to the right side of the grass islet separated
only by a narrow mauve-tinted band of water is a sand-bank that has been
uncovered, and on this stands a flock of perhaps three dozen small white egrets
closely packed, momentarily immoveable, and all stiffly regardant of the
approaching steamer, each bird with a general similarity of outline almost
Egyptian m its monotonous repetition.
The steamer approaches a little nearer, and the birds rise from the sand-bank
with a loose flapping flight and strew themselves over the landscape like a
shower of large white petals. On the left bank of the river looking down
stream is a grove of borassus palms rising above the waterside fringe of white
flowered reeds and apple-green mopheads of papyrus. The trunks of the
taller palms are smooth and whitish, but those of younger growth nearer to the
ground are still girt about by a fierce spiky hedge of dead blnck-stemmed
fronds. The crowns of the palm trees are symmetrical and fan-shaped in
general outline, while each individual frond has in its inner side a horse-shoe
curve. The colour of the fronds is a deep bluish-green singularly effective
in contrast with the grey-white column they surmount. The fruit of the palms,
when they can be descried, are like huge yellow-green apples thickly clustered
on pendent racemes protruding from the centre round which the fronds radiate.
2 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Behind the palm forest is a long line of blue mountain so far away that it is just
a faint blue silhouette against the paler blue sky. The afternoon is well advanced,
and in the eastern sky, which is a warm pinkish blue, the full moon has already
risen and hangs there a yellow-white shield with no radiance. On the opposite
bank of the river to the palm trees is a clump of tropical forest of the richest
green with purple shadows, lovely and seductive in its warm tints under the
rays of the late afternoon sun. Here are large albizzia trees.1 Over the water-
side hang thick bushes overgrown with such a drapery of convolvulus creepers
BORASSUS PALMS ON THE SHIRE
that the foliage of the bush is almost hidden. This green lacework is beauti-
fully lit up by large mauve flowers. Above the bushes rise the heads of the
wild date palm, and amid the fronds of this wild date here and there a cluster
of its small orange fruit peeps out. These palms rise over masses of foliage,
and occasionally top the higher trees, growing within their canopy in almost
parasitic fashion. This cluster of tropical vegetation will be here and there
scooped out 'into fairy bovvers by the irregularities of the bank. Sometimes the
trees will overhang the stream where the bank has been washed away. Tiny
kingfishers of purple-blue and chestnut-orange flit through the dark network of
gnarled trunks, and deep in this recess of shade small night-herons and bitterns
stand bolt upright, so confident in their assumed invisibility against a back-
1 A genus related to the acacia with the thickest foliage of pinnate leaves looking at a distance like
green velvet.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 3
Around of brown and grey that they do not move even when the steamer passes
so close by them as to brush against the tangle of convolvulus and knock down
sycomore figs from the glossy-leaved, many-rooted fig trees.
It is a backwater on the Shire river, or perhaps not so much a backwater
as a sluggish branch of the stream which the main current has deserted and left
hidden away between bosky islands and the high wooded bank. The flow
of the current is not discernible, and the reflections are glassy and mirror-like
in their exactitude, except that the surface of the water in the foreground is
strewn with oval lotus leaves looking in shape and even colour exactly like those
copper ashtrays or cardtrays made in Indian ware with slightly turned -up
crinkled edges. The scene is much framed in with overarching foliage and
branches from island and opposite bank. On this shore of the mainland
TROPICAL VEGETATION ON I HI, HANKS OF THE SHIRE
there are tall acacia trees with smooth pale-green trunks and whitish-green
branches, and a feathery light-green foliage spangled with hanging clumps
of tiny golden-stamened, petalless flowers which exhale the most penetrating,
absolute, and honeyed of all flower scents, a scent so strong that it
may be wafted on a still, hot day across a mile of water. In the middle
distance is a fine group of trees, elm-like in shape, growing on the river bank
above the flood limit. In the farthest distance a few sparse-foliaged acacias
stand out against the grey-blue sky above a high fence of reeds. In the
nearer distance one clump of spear-like reeds rises from the waterlilies and
shows some fine white flowering plumes against the dark background of the
forest clump. In the foreground is a huge snag, the relic of a fine forest
tree that has been washed down in the flood and stranded in the mud of
this backwater. On its branches are perched darters with sheeny plumaged
bodies of greenish-black and chestnut-coloured necks ending in a head and
spear-like beak, so slim that it seems a mere termination of the angular
weapon of the neck. Amongst the \Vaterlily leaves rise the beautiful blue-pink
flowers that are styled the lotus.
4 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
We are going to climb a mountain. First there are the low foothills to
surmount. . The soil is red and hard ; the grass is scattered and in yellow wisps,
and the many wild flowers are drooping, for it is the end of the dry season.
The trees are in foliage, though the rains have not yet fallen, and the young
leaves at this stage are seldom green, but the most beautiful shades of carmine
pink, of pinkish yellow, of greenish mauve, and even inky purple. Here and
there sprays of foliage are in a more advanced development, and are green with
a bluish bloom, or of the brightest emerald. But the height of the trees is not
great, and their leaves, though large, are scattered in a tufty growth that yields
but a feeble patchwork of shade from the hot sun ; the branches are coarse,
and thick, and seldom straight, they look just like the branches of trees drawn
from imagination by amateur water-colour artists. In many cases the bark
is still black and sooty with the scorching of the recent bush fires. The general
impression of all this vegetation, though one is forced to admire the individual
tints of the newly-opened leaves, is disappointing. It is scrubby. The land-
scape has not the dignity of a blasted heath, or the simplicity of a sandy
desert ; its succession of undulations of low scattered forest of such a harlequin
variation of tints is such as to produce no general effect of definite form and
settled colour on the eye. But this is a good game country. As you plod
along the hard red path, baked almost into brick by the blazing sun acting on
the red mud of the rainy season, you will suddenly catch sight of a splendid
sable antelope with ringed horns, almost in a half oval, a black and white face,
a glossy black body, white stomach, fringed and tufted tail, and heavy black
mane ; or, it may be, his beautiful female of almost equal bulk, but with
smaller horns, and with all the markings and coloration chestnut and white
instead of white and black. Unless you are very quick with your rifle, the
beast will soon be hid and almost undiscoverable amongst the low trees and
bushes.
The path is broken here and there by seams of granite. Every now and
then there is a regular scramble over wayworn rocks; granite boulders are more
and more interspersed amongst the red clay. Between the boulders grow
aloes with fleshy leaves of green, spotted with red, and long flower spikes
of crimson which end in coral -coloured flower buds — buds which open
grudgingly at the tip; the edges of the sprawling aloe leaves are dentelated,
and in their tendency to redness sometimes all green is merged in a deep
vinous tint.
Now there is less scrub, and the trees as we ascend become larger and more
inclined to stand in clumps; their foliage is thicker. We are approaching a
stream, and its course is marked by a forest of a different type, fig trees of
various species, tall parinariums (a tree which bears a purple plum), huge-
leaved gomphias, and velvet-foliaged albizzias. On either side of the stream,
also, there is a jungle of bamboos, and the path descends from out of the weary
glare of the white sunlight on the red clay into a cool, moist, green tunnel
through the numberless spear-heads of bamboo leaves. There are many ferns
on either side of the stream bank and beautiful carmine lilies1 are growing
by the water's edge, but as the rains are still withheld there is but a thin film of
water slipping down over the grey rocks and brown pebbles, and the stream
may be easily crossed from stepping stone to stepping stone. Then a clamber
up the opposite bank and through the bamboo out once more into the scorching
sunshine, and so on and on along a winding path through a native village
1 See illustration, pa^e 211.
THE LEOPARD'S RESTING-PLACE: A MOUNTAIN STREAM IN CENTRAL AFRICA
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE
7
with its untidy haycocks of huts, its clumps of bananas, plantations of sweet
potatoes and tobacco, and adjoining stubble fields where gaunt isolated stalks
of sorghum still linger. The blue mountain wall towards which we are aiming
rises higher into the sky, and its blue vagueness becomes resolvable into a detail
of purple and yellow grey. But though the sun is hotter than ever as it
approaches the zenith our continual ascent brings us to a region that enjoys
more benign conditions of moisture and coolness at night time. The young
green grass is more advanced than down below, the herbage is so thick that the
red soil is almost hidden. The wild flowers commence to be beautiful. There
are innumerable ground orchids in various
shades of mauve or yellow, or with strange
green blossoms, or flowers of richest orange.
A beautiful white clematis grows from an
upright stalk, and here and there are
bushes of a kind of mallow, which bears
large azalea - like clusters of the most
perfect blush pink. Higher up still there
are more and more flowers in many shades
of blue and mauve and yellow. There is
a small kind of sunflower that is a deep
maroon crimson, and another coreopsis
more like the cultivated sunflower with
flaming yellow petals. In moist places —
and the path is now constantly crossing
small brooks — grows the dissotis, with ; f
large flowers of deep red -mauve. The
path curves and twists and runs up above
heights and then down into deep ravines,
and still the flowers grow thicker and
thicker and more lovely, till in the ecstasy
of a colour dream, all remembrance of the
sun's heat, of your great fatigue and your
sweat -drenched clammy garments is for-
gotten. On the hill-sides there are frequent
clumps of wild date palms, some of which
rise to a great height with their slender
stems often bowed or curved and seldom
perpendicular. Then you come to your first tree-fern, or if you are a botanist
you are delighted with a rare cycad growing majestically alone and looking
very much as though it were an admirable piece of artificial foliage executed in
green bronze. Still ascending, with a pause here and a rest there in the
absolute shade of the great forest trees, tree-ferns become so abundant at
last as to make fairy forests of themselves, excluding other arborescence.
Then they give way again to densely- packed thick -foliaged forest trees of
low growth through which a path winds over many a bole and through
many a bamboo bower in deep green gloom. Through this gloom flit the
crimson - winged turacos, the lovely genii of the African forest — birds of
purple-blue, bluish-green and grass-green silky plumage with a white-tipped
crest, red parrot-like beaks, and bare red cheeks, but always, no matter -what
their species, with the broad, rounded pinion feathers of the wing the most
perfect scarlet-crimson ever seen in nature. The loud parrot cries of these
A TREE-l K.RN
s
birds (not unmelodious) echo and re-echo through the forest glades as they
call to one another; and here is a crimson flash, and there is a long crimson
streak drawn across the green background as they fly backwards and forwards
before the delighted intruder.
Runnels of water will at times trickle through the black leaf mould of the
scarcely discernible path, and you will come to many a fairy glen where the
dark, clear, cold water lies in deep pools amongst the ferns.
"THE GENIUS OF THE WOODS" (GREEN TURACO)
The forest for a time will give place to a bamboo thicket, the bamboos
perhaps of a different species to those lower down, with smaller and finer leaves
of a deeper green ; nothing more beautiful than these bamboo glades is to
be seen in the way of vegetation. It is difficult to express in words the
effect which is produced by thousands of narrow, pointed leaves of shiny surface
shaped like small spear blades — a wall of green facets — moving at times with
a faint tremor which sends a shimmering of green around you, accompanied by
the tiniest whispering sound. No transformation scene ever shown on the stage
was so beautiful as a bamboo glade on the high mountain side with, invariably,
water falling down the centre of the picture in tiny cascades and the soft ground
carpeted with a deposit of cast leaves like thin spear blades of pale gold.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 9
Beyond the bamboos the path becomes terrible. You emerge from the
gloom of this first forest belt on to bare rock and obtain glorious views over the
flower-braided hill-slopes below, over the band of dark green velvet forest, and
beyond into plains that are purple-blue with a diamond flash of water here and
there till the horizon is closed up with the palest silhouettes of other
mountains.
The path is now scarcely apparent. It is a hazardous progress up a steep
face of smooth polished rock from grass clump to grass clump. Here and there
on ledges of the rock where a little vegetable soil may have collected tussocks
of grass are growing, and these afford a precarious foothold ; nevertheless
though there is no good path it is obvious that men often pass this way up
and down the mountains since the tussocks of grass that are regularly trodden
A HAMHOO THICKF.I'
on are grey and dead in comparison to those untouched by the human foot,
which remain green. Here the difficulty of your ascent will be lightened by
the joy you must feel in the lobelias, if you have any sense of colour. In the
crevices of these glabrous-looking mountain ribs will grow bunches of lobelias
extravagant in their thousands of blue flowerets.
At last the ascent of this mountain wall is safely accomplished, and you
fling yourself panting on short wiry turf growing in clumps and know that you
have reached the limits of " Jack-in-the-Beanstalk's " country.
All the great mountains of South Central Africa seem to be isolated
fragments of an older plateau, and most of them present more or less precipitous
wall-like sides rising above the foot hills, which latter are created by land slides
and debris, or represent smaller remains of the plateau that in course of time
have been more worn away than the larger blocks constituting the big
mountains or the long mountain ranges. These wall-like sides are naturally
difficult of ascent ; but when one has clambered up over the edge, and on to
io BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the more level surface of the upraised tableland, it is a veritable " Jack-in-the
Beanstalk's" country, quite different in aspect to the tropical plains below.
Turning your eyes away, however, from the blue gulf which yawns beneath the
precipitous ascent of several thousand feet — which blue gulf after analysis by
the eye resolves itself into the faint map of many leagues of surrounding
countries — you find that the plateau on which you stand is a little world in
itself. The general surface is rolling grass land and beautifully-shaped downs,
with little streams and little lakes, and little forests ; and again from out of this
tableland little mountains of one to three thousand feet, chiefly of granite, rise
up into the clouds and in their austere rockiness contrast charmingly with the
lawns of short grass, the flowery vales, and the rich woodlands at their base.
Altogether the scenery is pretty rather than grand, and if you could forget the
ascent you have made and your geographical position, you might imagine
"JACK-IN-THE-BEANSTALK'S " COUNTRY
yourself in Wales, and believe that country of this sort stretched illimitably
before you for miles and miles, were it not that upon walking a few steps
in another direction you suddenly stop shuddering on the sharp edge of an
awful gulf— a gulf which on a misty day might be the end and edge of the
world.
It is a " Jack-in-the-Beanstalk " country. A little section of land upraised
and quite apart from the rest of Tropical Africa with a climate and flora of its
own, and as a rule without indigenous human inhabitants. The fauna of these
altitudes has usually peculiar features though most of the mammals differ but
little from those of the plains. Antelopes, buffalos, and even elephants will
scramble to these heights, if they be in any way accessible, for the sake of the
sweet herbage ; therefore in your ramblings over these plateaux you may catch
sight of big game, and even meet in its train the lion and leopard. The woods
of Cape-oak and other evergreens — the branches of which are hung with long
sprays of greenish-white lichen, "the old man's beard"1 — are resonant with the
1 Usnea, the "orchilla" weed of commerce.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE n
cries of turacos, possibly a species slightly differing from that found in the
warmer climate of the plains or hill-sides. Most of the other birds will be
allied to South African, Abyssinian or even European species — large purple
pigeons with yellow beaks or pretty doves with roseate tinge and white heads ;
orioles of green and yellow and grey ; chats, buntings, fly-catchers, plump
speckled francolin and tiny harlequin-quails ; few, if any birds of prey, but
many great-billed black and white ravens and an occasional black crow. The
wild flowers remind one touchingly of home. There are violets, there is a rare
primula, there are buttercups, forget-me-nots, St. John's wort, anemones, vivid
blue hound's-tongue and heather. Unfamiliar, however, are the lovely ground
orchids, the strange proteas and the " everlasting " flowers. Also there are strag-
gling arborescent heaths, almost like small conifers in appearance, though other
forms more ^closely resemble our own heather. Near the edges of the plateau
ON THK I'l.ATKAT
amongst the rocks grows a big kind of tree-lily with a gouty, pachydermatous,
branching stem and tufts of grass-like leaves. If it be, as I imagine, the early
spring when you are ascending the mountain, these otherwise ugly shrubs will
be covered with white lily-like blossoms.
The air of these lofty plateaux is cool and bracing and the sunshine harmless
in the day-time. When the weather is fine the sky is a lovely pale-blue.
Daylight under these conditions is one long inexhaustible joy of living.
Fatigue is not felt ; the sun's heat is pleasantly warm ; a moderate thirst can
be delightfully quenched in the innumerable ice-cold brooks ; but when the
sun is set — set amid indescribable splendour in what appears to be the middle
of the sky, so high is the horizon — -nature wears a different even an alarming
aspect : unless you have a cheerful log-hut to enter or a well-pitched comfortable
tent (with a roaring fire burning at a safe distance from the tent porch)
you will feel singularly dismal. Perhaps a thunder-storm may have come
on. Enormous masses of cloud may be bearing down on and enveloping
you — thunder of the most deafening description breaks around you and
12
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
re-echoes worse than any roar of artillery in battle from every ravine and
hill-side. The drenching rain or the driving mist may be chilling your
half-naked followers into blue numbness, and even bringing them, if they are
unsheltered, dangerously near death from cold. Even if it be a fine night,
and the moon shining, there will be something a little repellent and awe-
striking in the world outside your tent. The forest, to the vicinity of which
you have come for shelter, is very black, and the strange cries of bird and
beast coming from these depths quite confirm the native belief that the trees
are haunted with the spirits of the departed. The stars seem so near to you,
THE MLANJE CEDAR FORESTS
and if in the moonlight you have found your way over the tussocky grass
to the edge of the plateau and looked forth on a sleeping universe you feel
a little frightened— so completely are you aloof from the living world of
man. It is much pleasanter, therefore, to be shut up in a good tent or log
cabin, snugly ensconced in bed (for it is probably freezing hard) reading a novel.
We are on the upper plateau of Mlanje, grandest of all British Central
African mountains. It is early morning, say 6.30 a.m. We have been roused
by our native attendants, have had a warm bath and a cup of coffee and are
now inspecting our surroundings in the glory of the early sunshine. On the
short wiry grass there lies a white rime of frost as we walk down the slope
to the cedar woods. Here rises up before us a magnificent forest of straight
and noble trees, of conifers1 which in appearance resemble cedars of Lebanon
1 Widdringtonia ivhytei.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 13
though they have also a look of the Scotch pine and are actually in their
natural relationship allied to the cypress. Their trunks are straight and the
outer bark is often bleached white ; the wood is the tint of a cedar pencil. The
foliage which on the older trees grows in scant tufts (leaving a huge white
skeleton of sprawling branches) on the younger trees is abundant, bluish-green
ON MLANJE MOUNTAIN
below and the dark, sombre green of the fir tree above. The extremities of
each branch have a pretty upward curl.
Much of the undergrowth of these cedar woods is a smaller species of
Widdringtonia with a lighter green foliage, most gracefully pendent and starlike
in each cluster of needles.
Oh ! the deep satisfying peace of these cedar woods. The air is thick with
the odour of their wholesome resin. The ground at our feet is a springy
H
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
carpet of emerald green moss out of which peep anemones and primulas.
Here indeed when the mild warmth of the day has dried up the night dews
might one lie half stupefied by the rich aroma of the cedar wood, "the world
forgetting, by the world forgot," while the big purple pigeons with white-
streaked necks and yellow beaks resume their courtship on the branches above
A ROCK GARDEN ON" MLANJE
our heads. Beyond the cedar wood is the mountain-side strewn with innumer-
able boulders and cubes of rock which are interspersed with huge everlasting
flowers and a strange semi-Alpine vegetation. If we are trying to scramble up
these to reach the summit we shall hear from time to time the musical
trickle of water in caverns and holes, closed in by these strong boulders and
thickly hung with mosses and ferns. Should we then have reached any
of the great summits of Mlanje and looked down into its central crater we
shall realise that here must have been at one time volcanic action. The
PAPYRUS MARSH AM) SADDLE-BILLED STORKS
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 17
scene before us is an indescribable wilderness of stones and boulders which look
as though they had been hurled right and left from some central eruption. l
On the left-hand side stretches an arid plain of loose friable soil once formed
below the water, and white with the lime of decomposed shells blazing in the
reverberating sunshine of noonday — the refracted heat of its surface so great
that the horizon quivers in wavy lines before our half-blinded eyes ; on the
other side a papyrus marsh with open pools of stagnant water. Beyond the
arid waste of light soil on which a few grey wisps of grass are growing, lie
the deep blue waters of a lake — almost an indigo blue at noonday and seen
from this angle. Behind the papyrus marsh is a line of pale blue-grey
mountains — a flat wash of colour, all detail veiled by the heat haze. We
are at the mouth of a great river and the marshes on one side of us repre-
sent either its abandoned channels half dried up or its back water at times
of overflow. For a mile or so the eye, turning away with relief from the
scorching, bleached, barren plain which lies between us and the lake, looks
over many acres of apple-green papyrus. The papyrus, as you will observe, is
a rush with a smooth, round, tubelike stem, sometimes as much as six feet in
height. The stem terminates in a great mop-head of delicate green filaments
which are often bifid at their ends. Three or four narrow leaflets surround the
core from which the filaments diverge. If the papyrus be in flower small
yellow-green nodules dot the web of the filaments. With the exception of
this inflorescence the whole rush— stem, leaves, and mop-head — is a pure apple-
green and the filaments are like shining silk.
The water in the open patches in between the islands and peninsulas of
papyrus is quite stagnant and unruffled and seemingly clear. Sometimes the
water is black and foetid but its tendency to corruption is often kept in check
by an immense growth of huge duck weed, — the Pistia stratiotes, for all the
world like a pale green lettuce.
A pair of saddle-billed storks are wading through the marsh, searching
for fish and frogs and snakes. Their huge beaks are crimson -scarlet, with
a black band, and their bodies are boldly divided in coloration between snowy
white, inky-black, and bronze-green.
On Lake Nyasa. The steamer on which you are a passenger, in imagina-
tion, has left her safe anchorage in the huge harbour of Kotakota in the early
morning and rounding the long sandspit which shields the inlet from the open
lake, finds herself breasting a short, choppy sea. The waves at first are a
muddy green \yhere the water is shallow but soon this colour changes to a deep,
cold, unlovely indigo. A strong southern breeze is blowing in your teeth and
each billow is crested with white foam. The " Mwera " or south-easter — the
wind which ravages the lake at certain times— is to-day against you, and you
are condemned by circumstances to steam southwards opposed by this strong
gale. As you get out into the middle of the lake the situation is almost one
of danger, for the vessel on which you are travelling, though dignified with the
name of "steamer," is not much larger than a Thames steam launch. In such
weather as this she could not possibly go far with the billows on her beam
These isolated fragments of granitic rock are found miles away from the Mlanje mountain in the
plains below hearing all the appearance of having been hurled through the air for miles into the surround-
ing country. Mlanje mountain is evidently a large slice left of the pre-existing tableland from which
again volcanic cones have risen.
i8 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
or she would be rolled over ; then again if the steamer went northwards with
a following sea she would be speedily swamped ; her only course — and it
happens on this occasion to fit in with preconcerted arrangements — is to steam
southwards, facing both wind and waves. At times the vessel seems to be
standing on end as she crests some huge ridge of water ; and as she descends
into the furrow this broad-backed roller comes up under her stern and floods
the upper deck. Then again she mounts, to fall again and mount again and
fall again, until the best sailor in the world would be dizzy with this hateful
see-saw motion. In fact, if it were not quite so dangerous, an ordinary
passenger would give way to seasickness ; yet on this occasion you are too
frightened that the ship may be swamped and founder to bestow much attention
on the qualms of your stomach.
But the captain is hopeful, and tells you that as this is the third day the
wind has been blowing it will probably cease towards the evening. Overhead,
in spite of the whistling wind, the sky is clear of clouds and a pale blue. The
lake is dark indigo, flecked with white foam — not the rich, creamy, thick, white
froth of saltwater, but a transparent clear foam like innumerable glass drops
reflecting the sunlight coldly from many facets.
The lake is perhaps forty miles broad. North and south there is a clear sea
horizon. East and west there are pale greyish-blue outlines of mountain
ranges ; but owing to the driving wind and the slight diffusion of spray at
lower levels, or some such atmospheric cause, the lower slopes of the mountains
are invisible and the distant land has no direct connection with the sharp-cut
line of the indigo, foam-flecked water.
But with the afternoon heat the wind gradually lessens in force — lessens
to a positive calm an hour before sunset ; and the waters of the lake so easily
aroused are as quickly and as easily appeased. As the wind diminishes in
force the waves grow less and less till they are but a gentle swell or a mere
ripple. At last, half an hour before sunset, you have the following scene before
you. The steamer is now travelling smoothly and on an even keel along the
south-east coast of Nyasa. The eastern sky is a yellowish white, which near
the horizon becomes a very pale russet pink. The distant range of mountains
facing the rays of the almost setting sun has its hollows and recesses and
ravines marked in faint shadows of pinkish-purple, while the parts bathed in
sunlight are yellowish grey. On the left-hand side of the picture the land
projects somewhat into the lake in a long spit surmounted with low wooded
hills, where the ground is reddish-brown dotted with white rocks, and the trees
are a warm russet green in their lights and mauve-blue in their shadows. In
the middle of the view, breaking the long line of the water horizon under the
distant mountains are three warm-tinted blots of brown-pink, that represent
three islets.
The water of the lake, however, gives the greatest feast of colour. Its
ground tint near the horizon is a lemon white, which changes insensibly
to silver-blue close up to the ship's side. But this immobile sheet of lemon-
white, melting into palest azure, is scratched here and smeared there (like plush
which has had the nap brushed the wrong way) with streaks and patches of
palest amber. The whole effect is that of a great mirror of tarnished silver.
The amber-white of these disconnected areas of ripples, where the expiring
breeze faintly ruffles the perfect calm of the reflected sky, resembles the pinkish
brown stains on a silver surface just becoming discoloured from exposure to
the
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 19
Presently it will be night with a sky of purple grey studded with pale gold
specks of stars and planets, all of which will be reflected in the calm lake,
so that the steamer will seem to be carving her way through a liquid universe.
In a native village near to a great river there are three Europeans in a hut.
Although styled genetically a " hut " this native dwelling is of considerable size,
with a high-peaked thatched roof like a broad-mouthed funnel in shape, the
straggling ends of the thatch coming down to within a couple of feet of the
ground and so, to some extent, shielding from the sun the raised verandah of
grey mud which runs half round the outside. But the low-hanging thatch
screens the doorway into the hut, making the interior dark even though the
European occupants have broken small holes in the clay walls to let in a
little more light from the shaded verandah. Inside, the rafters of palm ribs,
which form the structure of the roof, are all shiny cockroach-black with the
smoke of many months which has ascended to the roof and found its way
out through the thatch. Cobwebs, covered with soot, hang from the rafters.
Of the three white men inside this hut two are well and hearty faces red,
and arms sun-tanned — and are seated upon empty provision cases : the third is
sick unto death, with dull eyes, haggard cheeks and— if there is daylight enough
to see it by — a complexion of yellowish-grey. He is stretched on a low camp
bed, is dressed in a dirty sleeping suit, and partially covered by two trade
blankets of garish red, blue and yellow, one of which slips untidily to the dusty
floor of hardened earth. The two healthy men are smoking pipes vigorously ;
but the smell of strong Boer tobacco is not sufficient to disguise the nauseous
odours of the sick room, and the fumes of whisky, which arise both from an
uncorked bottle and from the leavings of whisky and water in two enamelled-
iron cups.
By the sick man's bedside on a deal box is an enamelled-iron basin con-
taining grey gruel-like chicken broth, in which large bits of ship's biscuit are
floating. The soup has been made evidently without skill or care, for it has the
yellow chicken fat floating on the top and even an occasional drowned feather
attached to the sodden remnants of fowl. Also, there are a cup containing
strong whisky and water (untouched), a long-necked bottle of lime juice, and
a phial of Quinine pills.
The sick man turns ever and anon to the further side of the bed to vomit,
and after one of these attacks he groans with the agony of futile nausea.'
Lheer up, old chap !" says one of his companions, " we sent yesterday morning
to the doctor-man at the mission station : it is only about thirty miles away and
he ought to be here this afternoon." The doorway is darkened for a moment
but not with the doctor's advent. A negro girl has stooped under the thatch to
enter through the low doorway and for a moment obscures the dubious light
refracted from the small piece of blazing sun-lit ground visible under the eaves.
" Here, git, you black slut," shouts one of the men (he with the sand}- beard and
pockmarked face), lifting up a short whip of hippopotamus hide to enforce his
" Hold on," says the other healthy one, a tall brawny Cornishman,
with dark eyes and black beard, " it is only his girl ; harmless enough too, poor
thing, considering she has known him more 'n a fortnight. It 's wonderful what
these nigger girls '11 do for a white man/'
" There are all sorts of girls, there is every kind of girl,
There are some that are foolish, and many that are wise,
You can trust them all, no doubt, but be careful to look out
For the harmless little girlie with the downcast eyes,"
20 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
sings the pockmarked man, in reminiscence of a smoking concert he attended
months ago at Salisbury, before he and his companions tramped northwards
across the Zambezi in search of gold and any other profitable discoveries they
might make in the unknown North.
The woman, who has taken little or no notice of the other men, has
seated herself on the floor near the sick man's bed and is fanning away
the flies from his death-like face. He scarcely notices this attention, con-
tinuing as before to roll his head languidly across the rolled-up coat which
serves as pillow.
Outside the hut it is a bright world enough — a sky of pure cobalt, with
white cumulus clouds moving across it before a pleasant breeze. Except
where these clouds cast a momentary shadow there is a flood of sunshine,
making the dry thatched roofs of the round haycock houses glitter; and
as to the bare beaten ground of the village site, in this strong glare of
sunshine you would hardly realise it is mere red clay : it has an effulgent
blaze of flame -tinted white except where objects cast on it circumscribed
shadows of a purple black.
Two or three native curs, of the usual fox-coloured, pariah type, lie sleeping
or grubbing for fleas in the sunshine. A lank, wretched-looking mangy bitch,
with open sores on her ears and fly-infested dugs, trails herself wearily from hut
to hut, seeking food, but only to be repulsed by kicks from unseen feet, or
missiles hurled by unseen hands. Little chocolate -coloured children are
playing in the dust, or baking in the sun clay images they have made
with dust and water. Most of the houses have attached to them a woman's
compound at the back, fenced in with a high reed fence. If you entered
this compound from the verandah, or peeped over the high fence, you would
see cheerful garrulous women engaged in preparing food. A steady " thud,
thud ! ' " thud, thud ! " comes from one group of hearty girls with plump
upstanding breasts who, glistening with perspiration, are alternately pounding
corn in a wooden mortar shaped like a dice box. Each in turn, as she takes
the pestle, spits on her hands and thumps the heavy piece of wood up and
down on the bruised corn. Another woman is grinding meal on the surface
of a large flat stone by means of a smaller stone which is smooth and round ;
again, another wife with the aid of other flattened stones bruises green herbs
mixed with oil and salt into a savoury spinach. In all the compounds and
about the streets are hens and broods of chickens. Mongrel game-cocks are
sheltering themselves from the heat under shaded verandahs, which they share
with plump goats of small size and diverse colours — white, black, chestnut, grey ;
black and white, white and chestnut, grey and white. The sun-smitten village
at high noon is silent but for the low-toned talk of the women, of the " thud,
thud " of the corn-mortars, the baaing and bleating of an imprisoned kid, or the
sudden yelp of the half-starved bitch when a missile strikes her.
Beyond the collection of haycock huts (occupying perhaps a half square
mile in area), is a fringe of bananas, and beyond the bananas from one point
of view the glint of a river, and across the river a belt of black-green forest.
In other directions, away from the water-side is red rising ground sprinkled
with scrubby thin-foliaged trees, among which here and there grows a huge
gouty baobab, showing at this season digitate leaves like a horse-chestnut's,
and large tarnished white flowers that depend by a straight string-like stalk
from the pink and glabrous branches.
Noon declines to afternoon. The two men who are whole still remain in
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 21
the hut; the sick man is obviously sicker than before. His face is an obscure
yellow, he has ceased to vomit, he is no longer restless, he lies in a stupor,
breathing stertorously. The black-bearded man smokes, and reads a tattered
novelette, glancing from time to time uneasily at the one who lies so ill, but
trying to still his anxiety by assuring himself "that the poor beggar has got
to sleep at last." The man with the red hair and pockmarked cheeks sings
snatches of music-hall songs at intervals and drinks whisky and water, trying
hard to keep up his courage. For he is in a cold-sweating dread of death by
fever— a death which can come so quickly. A month ago there were four of
them, all in riotous health, revelling in the excitements of exploring a new
country, confident that they had found traces of gold, merrily slaughtering
buffalo, eland, kudu and sable ; sometimes' after elephant with the thought of the
hundreds of pounds' worth of ivory they might secure with a few lucky shots ;
killing "hippo" in the river and collecting their great curved tusks for subsequent
sale at a far-off trading station ; trafficking with the natives in the flesh of all
the beasts they slew and getting in exchange the unwholesome native meal,
bunches of plantains, calabashes of honey, red peppers, rice, sugar cane, fowls,
eggs, and goat's milk. They had not treated the natives badly, and the natives
in a kind of way liked these rough pioneers who offered no violence beyond an
occasional kick, who were successful in sport and consequently generous in
meat distribution, and who gave them occasional "tots" of " kachaso,"1 and
paid for the temporary allotment of native wives in pinches of gunpowder,
handfuls of caps, yards of cloth, old blankets and clasp knives. Yes ; a month
ago they were having a very good time, they were not even hampered by the
slight restraints over their natural instincts which might exist in Mashonaland.
They had found obvious signs of payable gold—" an ounce to the ton if only
machinery could be got up there for crushing the rock "—they would return to
the south and float a company ; meantime they had intended to see a little more
of this bounteous land blessed with an abundant rainfall, a rich soil, a luxuriant
vegetation, a friendly people, grand sport, and heaps of food ; and then, all at
once, one of them after a bottle of whisky overnight and a drenching in a
thunderstorm next day, complains of a bad pain in his back. A few" hours
afterwards he commences to vomit, passes black-water, turns bright yellow,
falls into a stupor, and in two days is dead. "Was it the whisky, or the
wetting, or neither? It could not be the whisky: good liquor was what was
wanted to counteract this deadly climate ; no, it could not be the whisky ; on
the contrary," thought the man who turns these thoughts over musingly in his
mind, "he himself must take more whisky to keep his spirits up. When old
Sampson was better and could be carried in a hammock, they would all
make straight for the Lake and the steamers and so pass out of the country,
perhaps returning to work the gold, perhaps not."
The heat of the afternoon increases. The man on the bed still snores, the
woman still fans, Blackbeard has fallen asleep over his novelette and Redhead
over his whisky and water. The silence of the village is suddenly broken by a
sound of voices and the tramp of feet. Blackbeard wakes up, rubs his eyes
and staggers out into the sunshine to greet a thin wiry European with bright
eyes and a decided manner. "Oh ... you are the Mission doctor, aren't you?
Come in— in here. He is pretty bad, poor chap, but I expect you will do him
a lot of good." .
It is early evening. The two mining prospectors have left the hut, advised
1 Fire- water — whisky.
22
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
by the doctor to chuck their whisky bottles into the river and go out shooting.
The former piece of advice they have not followed, but the latter they have
gladly adopted, frightened at the aspect of their dying comrade, and only too
glad to leave the responsibility of his care to the Mission doctor, who for
two hours has tried all he knows to restore the patient to consciousness, without
success. The woman has helped him as far as she was able, the doctor much
too anxious about his patient to concern himself about the propriety of her
position in the case. Outside the hut there is a cheerful noise of the awakening
village settling down to its evening meal. Flights of spurwinged geese, black
storks and white egrets pass in varied flocks and phalanxes across the rosy
western sky. But inside, by the light of two candles stuck in bottles, which the
doctor has lit to replace the daylight, it may be seen that his patient is nearing
the end; yet as the end comes there is a momentary return to consciousness.
The stertorous breathing has given way to a scarcely perceptible respiration, and
as the doctor applies further means of restoration a sudden brightness and light
of recognition come into the dull eyes. The expiring man tries to raise
his head — cannot ! and to speak— but no sound comes from his whitened
lips, then one long drawn bubbling sigh and the end has come.
A great, untidy, Arab town near the shores of a lake, the blue waters of
which can be seen over the unequal ground of the village outskirts and through
a fringe of wind-blown banana trees. On one of the little squares of blue
water thus framed in by dark-green fronds may be seen part of a dau at anchor
with a tall, clumsy, brown mast, thick rigging, and a hull somewhat gaudily
painted in black and pink. We
are sitting under the broad
verandah of a large house, a
house which is in reality no-
thing but a structure of timber
and lath covered with a thick
coating of black mud; but the
mud has been so well laid on
and is so smooth, time-worn
and shiny as to have the
appearance of very dark stone.
The roof is of thatch, descend-
ing from some forty, feet above
the ground to scarcely more
than five feet over the edge of
the verandah. This verandah
only occupies one side of the
house and is large enough to
be — what it is — an outer hall
of audience;1 fifteen feet broad and with a raised dais of polished mud on
either side of the passage which crosses the verandah to enter the main
dwelling. As the interior rooms of this house are mostly unfurnished with
windows and only derive their light from the central passage (which has an
open door at either end) they are quite dark inside and even in the daytime
little Arab lamps (earthenware saucers filled with oil and with cotton wicks)
have to be lighted to see one's way about.
1 Called by Zanzibaris "baraza."'
THK "SULTAN'S BARA/A"
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 23
In front of the house, in the open public square, is a fine cocoanut tree
\vhich has been planted from a cocoanut brought from the East Coast of Africa.
Across the square a ramshackle building is pointed out as the Mosque, and
Arabs of all shades — of negro blackness and of European whiteness — are
walking backwards and forwards through the blazing sunshine to perform their
ablutions in the court of the Mosque, or to enter the building to pray.
The Sultan of the place, in one of whose houses we are tarrying (in
imagination) is about to have his noontide meal, and asks us to join. He
himself is seated on a mattress placed on a mud bench against the wall under
the verandah, and is clothed in a long, white garment reaching down to his heels,
over which he wears a sleeveless, orange-coloured waistcoat richly embroidered
with silver, a shawl-sash wound round his waist, and over one shoulder a light
Indian cloth of chequered pattern brightly fringed. Through the shawl
waistband peep out the hilt and part of the scabbard of one of those ornamental
curved daggers which are worn at Zanzibar and in the Persian Gulf; this hilt
and scabbard are of richly-chased silver.
The Sultan has a face which in some respects is prepossessing. It is
certainly not cruel though he is known to have done many cruel things. The
once fine eyes are somewhat clouded with premature age and the exhaustion of
a polygamist ; but there are a sensitiveness and refinement about the purple-
lipped mouth and well-shaped chin, the outlines of which can be seen through
the thin grey beard. The hands have slender, knotted fingers and the nails are
short and exquisitely kept.
The taking of food is preceded by the washing of hands. Attendants —
who are either black coast Arabs, gorgeously habited in embroidered garments
of black, silver and gold, or else dirty, blear-eyed, negro boys, scarcely clothed
at all and with grey, scurvy skins (the dirtiest and stupidest-looking of these
boys is the Sultan's factotum in the household and carries his keys on a string
round his lean neck) come to us with brass ewers and basins. The ewers are
long-spouted, like coffee pots. Water is poured over our hands, which after
rinsing we dry as best we can on our pocket handkerchiefs, while the Sultan
wipes his on his Indian cloth which is slung over his shoulder and is used
indifferently as napkin and handkerchief. Then a brass platter of large
size, covered with a pyramid of steaming rice, is placed on the dais and
alongside it an earthenware pot (very hot) containing curried chicken. The
Sultan having rolled up a ball of rice between his fingers and dipped it into the
curry, invites us to do the same. Our fingers are scalded by the rice ; but it
must be admitted that the flavour of the curry is excellent. When this course
is finished a bowl of pigeons stewed with lentils is brought on, and this also
is eaten by the aid of our fingers. For drink we have cold, pure water from
an earthenware cooler, and the milk of unripe cocoanuts.
The meal finishes with bananas and roasted ground nuts. Then more
washing of hands and we recline on some dirty cushions or on lion skins, whilst
the Sultan gives audience to messengers, courtiers and new arrivals. Some of
these last-named glance suspiciously at us and are not disposed to be very
communicative about their recent experiences in the presence of Europeans.
The Sultan sees this and enjoys the humour of the situation. He is himself
indifferent to the slave trade, having secured his modest competence years ago
and now caring for nothing more than the friendship of European potentates,
which will enable him to finish his days in peace and tranquillity. After he
is gone he knows that in all probability there will be no other Sultan in his
24 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
place, but a European official. In his heart of hearts, of course, he sees no
harm in the slave trade. He is well aware that he is entertaining at one and
the same time European officials of high standing and five or six powerful
Arab slave dealers, and that his large, rambling metropolis of several square
miles in area harbours simultaneously not only the Europeans and their porters,
servants, and escort, but perhaps three hundred raw slaves from the Lualaba.
But he is not going to give his compatriots away unless they make fools of
themselves by any attempt to molest the Europeans, in which case, and in
an>' case if it comes to a choice of sides, he will take the part of the European.
In his dull way this unlettered man, who has read little else than the Koran
and a few Arab books of obscenities, or of fortune-telling, has grasped the fact
that from their own inherent faults and centuries of wrong-doing, Islam and
Arab civilisation must yield the first place to the religion and influence of the
European. He has no prejudice against Christianity — on the contrary, perhaps
a greater belief in its supernatural character than some of the Englishmen he
entertains from time to time — but if his inchoate thoughts could be interpreted
in one sentence it would be " Not in our time, O Lord ! " The change must
come but may it come after his death. Meantime he hopes that you will not
drive home too far the logic of your rule. When he is gone the Christian
missionary may come and build there, but while he lasts he prefers to see
nothing but the ramshackle mosques of his own faith and to have his half-
caste children taught in the Arab fashion. He points out some to you who are
sitting in the verandah of an opposite hut, under the shade of a knot of papaw
trees ; a hideous old negroid Arab with a dark skin and pockmarked face is
teaching them to read. Each child has a smooth wooden board with a long
handle, something like a hand-mirror in shape. The surface of this board is
whitened with a thin coating of porcelain clay ; and Arab letters, verses of the
Koran and sentences for parsing are written on it by means of a reed pen
dipped in ink or by a piece of charcoal.
There is a certain pathos about this uneducated old coast Arab who has been
a notable man in his day as conqueror and slave raider but who has had
sufficient appreciation of the value of well-doing not to be always a slave raider,
who has sought to inspire a certain amount of affection among the populations
he enslaved. These in time have come to regard him as their natural
sovereign, though the older generation can remember his first appearance in the
country as an Arab adventurer at the head of a band of slavers. His soldiers,
most of them now recruited from amongst his negro subjects, cheerfully raid the
territories of other chiefs in the interior, but slave raiding within his own especial
kingdom has long since ceased and a certain degree of order and security has
been established. Let us set off against the crimes of his early manhood the
good he has done subsequently by introducing from Zanzibar the cocoanut-
palm, the lime tree, the orange, good white rice, onions, cucumbers and other
useful products of the East; by sternly repressing cannibalism, abolishing
witchcraft trials, improving the architecture, and teaching many simple arts and
inducing the negroes to clothe their somewhat extravagant nudity in seemly,
tasteful garments.
He has known Livingstone and may even have secured a good word from
that Apostle of Africa for hospitality and for relative humanity, as compared
to other and wickeder Arabs. This casual mention of him in the book of the
great "Dottori"1 will cause him a childish pleasure if you point it out. "Has
1 The name by which Livingstone is almost universally known in Central Africa.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE
25
the ' Ouini ' read this book?" he asks. "Yes," you reply. "Then the Queen
has seen my name?" and this reflection apparently causes him much satisfaction,
for he repeats the observation to himself at intervals and even forces it on the
attention of a sullen-looking black-browed Maskat Arab who is waiting in
the barasa to settle with the Sultan the amount of tribute he must pay for
the passage of his slave and ivory caravan across the territory arid over the lake
by means of the Sultan's daus.
I will transport you to the south end of Lake Tanganyika.
In the background to this scene is a fine mountain which, like most Central
African mountains, presents from below the appearance of a cake that has been
MOUNT KAI'EMBA, TANGANYIKA
cut and is crumbling. There is first of all the granite wall of undulating out-
line bearing a thin line of trees along its crest. Then half-way down its slope
begins below the bare shining rock walls a ribbed slope of debris, which slope
is covered with luxuriant purple-green forest : the whole estoinpc with a film of
blue atmosphere, which sets it back to its proper place in the distance, so that
if you half close your eyes the general effect of this mountain mass is a greyish
purple.
As if in abrupt contrast to this upreared mass of rocks and trees towering
at least 4000 feet into the sky is a slice of bright green swamp, separating the
mountain slopes from the lake water. The foreground to this picture is the
broad estuary of a river at its entrance to Tanganyika. On your right hand
26 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
you have a spit of yellow sand which separates the unruffled mirror of this calm
water from the boisterous waves of the open lake. These are greenish blue
with brown marblings and muddy white crests where they are receiving the
alluvium of the river ; and fierce indigo streaked with blazing white foam where
the lake is open, deep and wind-swept. On your left hand the estuary of this
river (where the water is a speckless
mirror of the blue sky and its
cream -white grey- shadowed clouds)
is studded with many green islets of
papyrus and girt with hedges of tall
reeds — the reeds with the white
plumes and pointed dagger leaves
that I have once or twice before
described.
This conjunction of mountain, river,
marsh, estuary, sandspit, open lake
and papyrus tangle brings about such
a congeries of bird life that I have
thought it worth the trouble to bring
you all the way to Tanganyika to
ON TANGANYIKA gaze at this huge aviary. And al-
though on many of these journeys
you are supposed to be looking on the scene with the eye of the spirit
and not of the flesh, and therefore able to see Nature undisturbed by the
presence of man, still on this spot you might stand in actuality, as I have
stood, and, provided you did not fire a gun, see this collection of birds as
though they were enclosed in some vast Zoological Gardens. For some
cause or other has brought the fish down from the upper reaches of the
stream or up from the lake. The water of the estuary is of unruffled
smoothness. Most waterbirds detest the rough waves of the open lake, or
the current of a rapid stream ; even now if you turn your eyes lakewards
the only birds you will see are small grey gulls with black barred faces and
black tipped wings "and the large scissor-billed terns (grey and white with
crimson beaks) flying with seeming aimlessness over the troubled waters.
But in the estuary, what an assemblage ! There are pelicans of grey, white
and salmon pink, with yellow pouches, riding the water like swans, replete
with fish and idly floating. Egyptian geese (fawn-coloured, white, and green-
bronze) ; spur winged geese (bronze-green, white shouldered, white flecked, and
red cheeked) ; African teal (coloured much like the English teal) ; a small jet
black pochard with a black crest and yellow eyes ; whistling tree duck (which
are black and white, zebra-barred, and chestnut) ; other tree ducks (chestnut and
white) ; that huge Sarcidiornis (a monstrous duck with a knobbed beak, a
spurred wing, and a beautiful plumage of white and bronzed-blue with a green-
blue speculum in the secondaries of the wing). All these ducks and geese
hang about the fringe of the reeds and the papyrus. The ducks are diving
for fish, but the geese are more inclined to browse off the water-weed. Every
now and then there is a disturbance, and the reflexions of the water are broken
by a thousand ripples as the ducks scutter over the surface or the geese rise
with much clamour for a circling flight. Farthest away of all the birds (for
they are always shy) is a long file of rosy flamingoes sifting the water
for small fish and molluscs. They are so far off that their movements are
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 27
scarcely perceptible ; against the green background of the marsh they look like
a vast fringe of pale pink azaleas in full blossom.
Small bronze-green cormorants are plunging into the water for fish, diving
and swimming under water, and flying away. Fish-catching on a more modest
scale and quite close to where we stand is being carried on by black and white
Ceryle kingfishers, who with their bodies nearly erect and the head and beak
directed downwards will poise themselves in the air with rapidly fluttering wings
and then dart unerringly head foremost on some tiny fish under the surface of
the water.
On the sandspit two dainty crowned cranes are pacing the sand and the
scattered wiry grass looking for locusts. Even at this distance — and especially
if you use a glass — you can distinguish the details of their coloration. It
will be seen that they have a short, finely-shaped beak of slatey black, a
large eye of bluish grey, surrounded by a black ring ; and the cheeks covered
with bare porcelain-like skin, pure white, which is much enhanced by an
edging of crimson developing below the throat into two bright crimson
wattles. The head is fitly crowned with a large aigrette of golden filaments,
tipped with black. The neck with its long hackles is dove grey. The back
and the breast are slate colour, the mass of the wing is snow white, and its
huge broadened pinions are reddish chocolate, the white secondaries being
prolonged into a beautiful golden fringe hanging graceful!}' over the chocolate
quill feathers.
The quacking of the ducks, the loud cries of the geese and the compound
sound of splashings and divings and scuttering flights across the water, are
dominated from time to time by the ear-piercing screams of a fish eagle,
perched on one of the taller poles of a fishing weir. The bird is as full of
fish as he can hold, but yet seems annoyed at the guzzling that is going on
around him, and so relieves his feelings at odd moments by piercing yells. He
is a handsome bird — head and neck and breast snow white, the rest of the
plumage chocolate brown.
Add to the foregoing enumeration of birds stilt plovers of black and white ;
spur-winged plovers with yellow wattles ; curlew ; sandpipers ; crimson-beaked
pratincoles; sacred ibis (pure white and indigo-purple); hagedash ibis (irides-
cent-blue, green, and red-bronze) ; gallinules (verditer blue with red beaks :
black water-rails with lemon beaks and white pencillings ; black coots ; other
rails that are blue and green with turned-up white tails ; squacco herons (white
and fawn-coloured) ; large grey herons ; purple-slate-coloured herons ; bluish-
gray egrets ; white egrets ; large egrets with feathery plumes ; small egrets with
snowy bodies and yellow beaks ; Goliath herons (nut-brown and pinkish-grey) ;
small black storks, with open and serrated beaks ; monstrous bare-headed
marabu storks ; and dainty lily-trotters1 (black and white, golden-yellow and
chocolate-brown) ; and you will still only have got half way through the
enumeration of this extraordinary congregation of water birds at the estuary
of the river Lofu, on the south coast of Tanganyika.
Civilisation. — We are going to spend a Sunday at Blantyre, a European
settlement in the Shire Highlands. Except for the name, however, there is no
similarity between the little manufacturing town, which was Livingstone's birth-
place, and the chief focus of European interests here in South Central Africa.
These are the characteristics of the African Blantyre on a bright Sunday
1 J'arra Africana.
28 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
morning in May: — A glorious blue sky; floods of sunshine; a cool breeze and
a sparkling freshness in the atmosphere which reminds one of Capetown; clean
red roads, neat brick houses, purple mountains, and much greenery.
The organ is giving forth a hymn of Mendelssohn's by way of introit as we
enter the church, and as, simultaneously, the choir and clergy take their places.
The Norman architecture of the interior, the stained glass windows, the
embroidered altar cloths, the brass lecterns and their eagles, the carved altar
rails, the oak pulpit, the well-appointed seats with scarlet cushions — even the
sunlight checked in its exuberance by passing through the diamond panes
of the tinted windows — produce an effect on the newcomer of absolute astonish-
ment. He requires to fix his eyes on the black choir in their scarlet and white
vestments to realise that he is in Africa and not in Edinburgh or Regent's Park.
The congregation consists mainly of Europeans and the service is in English.
[The natives will assemble at other hours when worship is conducted in their
own language.] A short service with good music, well sung by the black choir,
and a quarter of an hour's sermon: then we are out once more in the sunny
square, in a temperature not hotter than a mild summer's day at home,
exchanging greetings with many acquaintances, almost all of whom are habited
in such clothes as they would wear on a Sunday in Scotland. Some of the men
turn out in black coats, light trousers, top hats, patent leather boots, white spats
and brown gloves; and the ladies are wearing silk blouses and cloth skirts, with
all the furbelows and puffs and pinchings and swellings which were the height
of the fashion in London not more than four months ago, for there is an
almost pathetic desire on the part of the Blantyre settlers to keep in touch
with civilisation.1
In the bare, open space which so fittingly surrounds this handsome church,
groups of mission boys are standing, respectably clothed in not badly-fitting
European garments and wearing black felt hats. They are conversing in low
tones, a little afraid of having their remarks overheard by the critical Europeans.
They have a slight tendency to giggle, of which they are conscious and some-
what ashamed. A long file of mission girls, modestly and becomingly clad in
scarlet and white, crosses the square to the native quarters of the mission under
the guidance of a lady in dove-grey with a black bonnet and a grass-green
parasol. By way of quaint contrast to these reclaimed guardians of the flock
is the aboriginal wolf in the persons of some Angoni carriers who, forgetting or
ignoring that Sunday was a day of rest with the European, are bringing up
loads from the Upper Shire. Stark naked, all but a tiny square of hide or
a kilt of tiger-cat tails, with supple, lithe bodies of glistening chocolate (shiny
with perspiration), with the hair of their heads screwed up into curious little
tufts by means of straw, they glide past the church with their burdens, alter-
nately shy and inquisitive — ready to drop the burden and dart away if a
European should address them roughly; on the other hand gazing with all their
eyes at the wonderfully dressed white women, and the obviously powerful
" wafumo " z amongst the white men. A smartly-uniformed negro policeman in
yellow khaki and black fez hurries them off the scene, shocked at their nudity,
which was his own condition a year ago.
A good-looking Sikh soldier — over on a day's leave from the neighbouring
garrison, or else accompanying some official as orderly — loiters respectfully on
the fringe of the European crowd. He is in undress and wears a huge blush-
rose turban, a loose snow-white shirt, a fawn-coloured waistcoat, white paijamas
1 Blantyre in fact is like an Indian Hill Station. - Chiefs.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 29
(baggy over the hips but tight-fitting round the calves) and pointed Persian
shoes of crimson leather. His long, black beard has been rolled up after the
fashion of the Sikhs, so that it makes a tidy fringe round the jaws from ear to
ear ; and the black moustache is fiercely curled.
\\\- walk away home over a smooth road that is vinous-red, as all the earth
is hereabout. First there is an avenue of sombre cypresses mixed with
shimmering eucalyptus ; then the road will be bordered by bananas or by the
gardens of Europeans' houses, with neat fences. In all directions other roads
branch off, and above the greenery of Indian corn patches, of banana-groves,
of plantations of conifers, acacias, and eucalyptus, or clumps of Misuko trees,
can be seen the house-roofs of grey corrugated iron, or rose-pink, where that
iron has been coloured with anti-corrosive paint.
Bright moonlight. In a Hyphsene palm forest. Out of the shadow of the
trees it is almost as bright as day, every detail can be seen in the dry grass-
even the colours of some few flowers blooming in spite of the dry weather.
The effect is that of a photograph — a little too much devoid of half-tones, being
sharply divided into bright lights, full of minute detail and deep grey shadows,
like blots, in which no detail can be descried. It is clear that this forest lies far
from the haunts of man, for all the palm stems still retain the jagged stems of
withered fronds. This gives them an untidy and forbidding aspect ; for these
grey mid-ribs stick out at an angle of forty degrees from the main trunk. The
faded leaf filaments have long since disappeared from the extremities of the
dead fronds which themselves are so dry and so lightly attached to the stem
that a few blows from a stout pole would knock them off and the palm trunk
would be left bare and smooth. This is the condition of almost all palms near
a native village in Africa because the natives climb them for the fruit, or more
often for the sap which they tap at the summit and make into a fermented
drink. Therefore whenever in tropical Africa you find palms in a forest
retaining their old fronds from the ground upwards you may know that
indigenous man is nowhere near.
Each palm is surmounted by a graceful crown of fan-shaped leaves in an
almost symmetrical oval mass, radiating from the summit as from a centre.
The fruit which is clustered thickly on racemes is — seen by daylight — a bright
chestnut brown and the size of a Jaffa orange. This brown husk covering an
ivory nut is faintly sweet to the taste and is adored by elephants. It is on that
account that I have brought you here to see with the eye of the spirit a herd
of these survivors of past geological epochs.
Somehow or other, it seems more fitting that we should see the wild elephant
by moonlight at the present day. He is like a ghost revisiting the glimpses of
the moon — this huge grey bulk, wrinkled even in babyhood, with his monstrous
nose, his monstrous ears and his extravagant incisor teeth.
There! I have hypnotised you, and having suggested the idea of "elephants"
you declare that you really begin to see huge forms assuming definite outline
and chiaro-scuro from out of the shadows of the palms. Now you hear the
noise they make— an occasional reverberating rattle through the proboscis as
they examine objects on the ground half seriously, half playfully ; and the
swishing they make as they pass through the herbage ; or the rustle of branches
which are being plucked to be eaten. But they are chiefly bent on the ginger-
bread nuts of the palms and to attain this, where they hang out of reach, they
will pause occasionally to butt the palm trees with their flattened foreheads.
3o BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
The dried stems and the dead fronds crash down before this jarring blow. If
the fruit does not fall and the tree is not tilted over at an angle [its crown within
reach of the animal's trunk], then the great beast will either strive to drag it
down with his proboscis or to kneel and uproot it with his tusks The elephants
pause every now and then in their feasting, the mothers to suckle the little ones
from the two great paps between the fore-legs, a huge bull to caress a young
female amorously with his twining trunk, or the childless cows to make
semblance of fighting, and the half-grown young to chase each other with shrill
trumpetings.
But the moon is dropping over to the west. You did not think the moon-
light could be exceeded in brightness. Yet in the advent of day it is only after
all a betterment of night. Before the first pale pink light of early dawn the
moonlight seems an unreality. In a few minutes the moon is no more luminous
than a round of dirty paper and with the yellow radiance of day the elephants
cease their gambollings and feasting, form into line, and swing into one of those
long marches which will carry them over sixty miles of forest, plain and
mountain to the next halting place in their seeming-purposeful journey.
There has been a war. The black man trained and taught by the Arab has
been fighting the black man officered and directed by the European and, not
unnaturally, has got the worst of it. But the fight has been a stiff one. We
have had to take that walled town in the red plain, behind which are gleams of
water and stretches of green swamp interspersed with clumps of raphia palms.
There has been the preliminary bombardment, the straw huts within the red
walls have gone up in orange flame and mighty columns of smoke [transparent
black and opaque yellow according to the material burning] into the heavens
above and are now falling in a gentle rain of black wisps. Here and there
a barrel of gunpowder has exploded, or the bursting of a shell has elicited
a terrible cry from an otherwise stolid, silent enemy. Then there has been the
first charge up to the clay walls and the inevitable casualties from the enemy's
fusillade directed through the loop-holes. A white officer has fallen forward on
his face, revolver in hand, biting the dust literally. He is not dead, he announces
cheerfully, "Only my arm smashed, I think" ; but a Sikh who is attempting to
arrange for his transport to the doctor out of the range of the enemy's fire, is
shot through the heart, and with the last dying instinct swerves his fall to avoid
falling on the officer's shattered arm. The bulk of the small force of white
men, Sikhs, and negro soldiers in khaki uniforms and black fezzes, has either
scaled the clay rampart or has shattered a gateway and burst into the strong-
hold, and the officer can now swoon away comfortably without much risk of
dying, as the doctor can be seen in the distance hurrying up his little band
of native hospital assistants and a couple of hammocks for the transport
of wounded men. A tremendous rattle of musketry is going on. The native
guns go off seldom now, but make a loud reverberating boom from the quantity
of powder with which they are charged ; the Snider rifles, on the other hand,
give short cracks. From some of the unburnt housetops in the more distant
part of the town the enemy is still keeping up a dropping fire, and in fact as we
stand in imagination over the wounded officer we can hear overhead that curious
" ping," that singing sound of bullets travelling high above our heads. We are
not out of but under the enemy's range. Gradually the gun fire ceases, though
every now and then a few more cracking shots will be heard, until the victory is
complete and absolute, and the place is wholly taken.
WHAT THE COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE 31
\Yhen there is no longer any doubt about the result the native allies, who
have hung on the outskirts of the white man's camp, dash forward in skirmish-
ing order to cut off the fugitives. They are a motley crowd, these " friendlies,"
armed with flint-locks, muzzle-loading guns, old pistols, or with spear and
assegai, bow and arrow. It would be difficult to tell them from the opposing
force — for the auxiliaries of the Arab are often own brothers to the white man's
helpers — but that each " friendly " has a large piece of white cloth tied round
the upper part of his left arm. The chief efforts of the Europeans and the
Sikhs are now directed towards restraining these inconvenient allies who would
seek to perpetrate on the flying enemy, or on his wounded, the same barbarities
that the Arabs and their followers recently inflicted on the tribes allied with the
European — which barbarities are the cause of the white man's presence here
to-day with a country at his back to help him.
War is always horrible, even if it be waged in a righteous cause, and
nowhere so horrible as in savage Africa. Let us, as a useful lesson, pick our
way through this bombarded town as far as the heat of the still burning houses
will permit. Here amongst the black ashes of a hut is a poor, domestic cat
frizzled into a ghastly mummy and close to her are numerous broiled rats : all
alike were unable to escape in time from the burning building. High above
our heads— for some reason I think the saddest sight of all— are the homeless
pigeons, circling round and round unable to settle on the burning roof trees,
dazed and stupefied with the smoke and occasionally falling down into the
flames to die. Shrieking fowls are flying in all directions and after them
excited " friendlies " or porters of the expedition in pursuit, heedless of the hot
ashes under foot. Our first dead body: a negro soldier of the Administration,
neatly clad, spick and span in spite of his scramble over the eight-foot wall.
Soon after entering the town he must have been shot dead and he has fallen
on his back still grasping his rifle and, strange to say, with a faint smile of
triumph and no look of pain whatever on the face. A little distance beyond
him lies a wretched savage who has been killed by a shell. His stomach has
been torn out and his head split in two. Here and there a black arm or leg
or a dead face with wide-open eyes may be descried amongst the debris of the
huts, indicating the presence of others who have fallen in the fight. The doctor
will presently come and search the shattered huts in case there may be any
wounded and living requiring attention.
We have now reached the centremost stronghold of the town, and it is seen
that great as the conflagration appeared from the outside it has destroyed
but a small portion of the town. The Sikhs are now busily engaged in
isolating the burning huts and putting out the fire. The officers have been
examining the large houses around the Sultan's compound and have brought
to light an extraordinary number of wretched women and children most of
them slaves — the adults both men and women — still weighted with the slave
stick.1
Many of these slaves are entirely naked and utterly barbarous, and all are
whimpering, not with joy at the prospect of freedom but in the imminent dread
that they will be immediately killed and eaten by the white men, that being the
idea implanted in their minds by the Arab. A little apart from the great mass
1 The slave stick is usually a young tree of heavy wood barked and all the branches removed \\ith
the exception of a bifurcation at the end. Into this bifurcation the slave's neck is thrust and the two ends
of the stick are united by an iron band at the back of his neck so that this heavy log is attached to the
front of the man's body. In this condition he is quite unable to run away.
32 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
of still fettered slaves is an Arab prisoner, his hands tied behind his back,
kneeling or reclining with his ankles also fastened. There is a slight wound on
his forehead; his face bears the expression of a caged wolf, his pale yellow skin
is livid with pain, fear, and hatred. He has lost his round, white cap or fez,
or turban, and his bald head looks mean and out of keeping with his careful
clothes, which though soiled in warfare are still neat and presentable. Round
his neck in a dirty cloth bag hangs a copy of the Koran.
From such a scene as this I walked away once over the battlefield. The
fight was ended, but we were only just starting to look for the wounded. It was
early afternoon; a lovely day, bright sunshine, pale blue sky. A cool breeze
had blown away the smoke ; apart from the scene of the chief struggle in the
captured town there was no indication that war was being waged. In a secluded
part of the precincts amid the scattered vegetation of the village outskirts
I suddenly came across the body of a fine-looking Angoni, not many minutes
dead. He might have been fighting on our side; he might have been hired by
the Arabs as one of their raiders, but someone had killed him with a bullet
through the head and he had fallen in his tracks, in all his panoply of war,
scarcely conscious of the object for which he fought. His right hand still
grasped the stabbing spear, his left still held the ox-hide shield. His throw-
ing spears had flown from his hand and were scattered on the ground.
Grimmest sight of all — four vultures had already arrived on the scene to
examine him. Two birds promenaded up and down with a watchful eye,
ready on noting any sign of returning consciousness to take their departure;
another bird, somewhat bolder, stood on one leg and inspected him as might
a thoughtful surgeon; and the fourth whirled in circles on out-spread pinions
round the body, wishing to settle but frightened, in case after all it was a swoon
and not a death.
NIAMKOI.O: SOUTH END 01- TANGANYIKA
CHAPTER II.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
IX looking through the pictures I have tried to paint in the preceding
chapter to illustrate the scenery of British Central Africa, it will be noticed
that I have made no mention of any desert, of any open sandy tract or
stony region devoid of vegetation. The fact is that so far as my own researches
and those of other explorers go, British Central Africa, east of the Kafue river,
holds no desert, no stretch of country that is not more or less covered with
abundant vegetation. Here
and there on the line of
water parting between the
river systems there may be a
little harsh scenery where the
trees are poor and scrubby and
the plants grow in scattered
tufts. But, take it as a whole,
the eastern half of British
Central Africa is very well
es-
clothed with vegetation,
pecially in the Xyasa province.
There is nowhere any large
continuous area of thick tropi-
cal forest such as one sees
in Western Africa, but in
favoured districts where the
soil is permeated with many
springs there may be an
occasional patch of woodland
quite West African in char-
acter, and not only containing
oil palms, of the genus Ehch
'which are usually thought to
be peculiarly characteristic of
West Africa), but also not
a few birds and mammals
hitherto considered to be con-
fined in their range to the
\\ est African region. From
this and other facts, I am
sometimes led to believe that
FORKST ON MOUNT CHOI.O, BRITISH CKNTRAI. AFRICA
36 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the whole of Africa was once covered with more or less dense forest, but that
the climate in the eastern half of the continent being drier than in the west,
the ravages of the bush fires started by man have made greater headway
than the reparatory influence of nature. Only in specially favoured tracts
enjoying exceptional rainfall or else provided with underground springs could
the forest remain always green and full of sap all the year round, and thus be
able to choke out the fire or, in the wet season, to make sufficient growth
to repair the ravages sustained by bush fires.
We have therefore a well clothed country to deal with ; but our abundant
vegetation is undoubtedly the cause of malarial fever. The essentially health}7
THE Ml.ANJE RAMIE, SEEN FROM XdMIiA AFTER RAINFALL
portions of tropical Africa are those like Somaliland, much of the Sudan, a good
deal of East Africa and all South West Africa, where the rainfall is trifling and
vegetation is mainly confined to the banks of rivers.
From observations made and records kept by various officials throughout
the Protectorate proper and the adjoining regions under the sway of the British
South Africa Company I should compute the average rainfall of the greater
part of British Central Africa at 50 inches per annum. But this average
fluctuates somewhat (according to the remembrances of white men longest
in the country and the traditions of the natives) ; and I should say that the
rainfall ranged from 35 inches in years of extreme drought to 60 inches in years
of excessive rainfall. There are certainly traces of a larger rainfall having once
prevailed in these countries in past ages. In travelling about British Central
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
37
Africa one is constantly encountering marshes which even in native tradition (to
say nothing of the geographical evidence) were once large lakes. Again, there
are fertile depressions which are no longer marshes. Dry stream valleys mark
the courses of once powerful torrents. This tendency towards decreased
rainfall is undoubtedly due, in my opinion, to the action of man. It is scarcely
exaggeration to say that had British Central Africa been left for another couple
of hundred years simply and solely to the black itlan and the black man had
continued to exist without thought for the future as he does at present, this
country would have become treeless, as many portions of it were becoming
when we embarked on its administration. Livingstone describes in his Last
Journals the process that is going on in Manyema, to the west of Tanganyika, a
country once covered with the densest forest. The natives make clearings for
NATIVE CLEARING IN FOREST COUNTRY
their plantations. They cut down the trees, leave them to dry and then set fire
to them and sow their crops amongst the fertilising ashes. The same type of
forest never grows up again. It is replaced by grass or by a growth of scrubby
trees — trees of a kind which can to a greater extent resist the annual scorching
of the bush fires. Besides this wanton destruction of forest for the growing of
food crops (and as a rule the native merely grows one crop of corn and then
moves off to another patch of virgin soil, leaving the old plantation to be
covered with grass and weeds) the annual bush fires play a considerable and (if
unchecked) an increasing part in the disforesting of the country. Even where
large continuous areas of dense forest remain, so evergreen and full of sap as
not to burn easily, each year the raging fire will sere and dry and kill those trees
which are on the forest outskirts. The next year these dead trees are consumed
by the fire which again dries up and kills another rank ; so year by year the
forest diminishes in area to extinction, unless protected by happening to grow in
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
a deep valley with abrupt cliffs ; though this condition of course restricts its
area of growth.
Still, although we must, I think, admit a certain diminution in rainfall owing
to the decrease of forest or other causes, the rate at which this decrease is going
on has been exaggerated, and as we come to know the country better and our
records grow with years of occupation, we see that there are signs of cycles of
greater and less rain dependent on atmospheric conditions which we have not yet
realised. The marks on the rocks show that during some ages there has been a
slight — but a very slight — fall in Lake Nyasa, varied by periods of extraordinary
diminution as for instance some seventy years ago when according to the natives'
traditions the north end of the lake became so shallow between Deep Bay
and Amelia Bay that a chief and his men waded across where it is now man}'
fathoms deep. The highest watermark on these polished rocks is perhaps at
most six feet above the present high levels of the lake in good rainy seasons.
In years of relative drought Lake Nyasa may be as much as six feet below its
best rainy season average. This means, of course, that instead of there being
nine feet of water on the bar of the Shire where that river quits the lake there
are only three feet ; consequently the navigability of the Shire in the dry
season becomes much embarrassed and in these bad years it can only be
navigated all the year round
by vessels not drawing more
than one and a half feet.
Yet we know that in the later
" fifties " and early " sixties "
Livingstone constantly travelled
up and down the Shire on a
vessel drawing five feet. Even
in the year 1889 the James
Stevenson which draws about
three feet of water was able to
navigate the Shire through al-
most all the year up to the
Murchison falls, while vessels
of five feet draught have in like
manner navigated the Upper
Shire above the falls. But from
1891 till 1896 the Shire fell
lower and lower until at last
not even Chiromo was the limit
of navigation from the sea,
but the Pinda rapids near the
Zambezi, while the Upper Shire
was practically divided into a
few navigable stretches with
very shallow water in between.
But after the rainy season of
1 895-96 Lake Nyasa rose to a
height which had not been
reached for man}- years and is apparently still continuing to rise. The result is
that the Lower Shire is now as navigable as it was in Livingstone's da}-, while
on the Upper Shire main- of our low-lying stations are threatened by the flood
THK SHIRK AT cHiKWAWA
JUST BELOW THK MURCHISON F
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 39
Similar fluctuations are recorded of Tanganyika ; while in the case of
Bangvveolo and M \veru fluctuations of level would also seem to occur in cycles.
The differences between Livingstone's map of Bangweolo and the map made by
Giraud, the observations of Mr. Joseph Thomson, Mr. Alfred Sharpe, and
Mr. Poulett Weatherley of the same lake may all be reconciled by this theory
of a few feet fluctuation in its rise and fall. A few feet, more or less, would
make the vast lake of M. Giraud the " restricted open water" of Livingstone, and
the wide marsh with a few open pools conjectured by Sharpe and Thomson.1
Of course the average rainfall I have quoted must not be taken as the
rainfall of each part of British Central Africa. So far as our observations
go some districts receive no more than 35 inches per annum.'2 These again,
especially if they contain mountains of great height like Mianje, may record
a rainfall exceeding 100 inches. A rainfall of 60 inches is common.
PINDA MOUNTAIN AM) I'INDA MARSH, LOWER SHIRK
In consequence of this fairly good supply of rain the country is well watered
by perennial streams and rivers. At the extreme end of the dry season there
are streams which dry up though water can almost always be found a short
distance below the surface. Still compared to other parts of East Central
Africa the bulk of our rivers and rivulets may be described as perennial, that is
to say containing running water all the year round. This is not suprising as so
much of the country is mountainous and in these highlands the rain is spread a
little less unequally over the area. It may safely be said that above altitudes
of 4000 feet (and a large proportion of the land is above 4000 feet) no month
passes without a fall of rain. Even at Zomba where the altitude is only 3000
feet it is a rare occurrence for no rain to fall in any given month.
But the year is clearly divided into seasons of rain and drought. The
rainy season generally begins at the end of the month of November and heavy
rains fall in December. There is often a short lull about Christmas time, but
1 Since this passage was penned Mr. Poulett Weatherley, the explorer and sportsman, has thoroughly
circumnavigated and mapped it. His observations concur rather with those of Livingstone than of Giraud.
2 A small patch at the south end of Lake Xyasa in one year only received a6-62 inches of rain.
40 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
earh- in January the rains recommence and become torrential, continuing to fall
very heavily until the end of March. April is a delightful month as it is in
Europe, of alternate showers and sunshine. A little rain falls in May and an
occasional shower in June. July is the height of the winter— cold, dry, spark-
ling— but is never without a few drops of rain. In August there will sometimes
be a week's rain of a decided character, especially in the highlands. A shower
PART OK THE FALLS OF THE RUO AT ZOA
or two will follow in September. October is quite the driest month and in low-
lands passes without a drop of rain, though in the highlands there may be an
occasional thunder storm. Towards the close of November (the first half being
terribly hot and dry) the big rains recommence.
As regards temperature there is considerable variation also dependent on
altitude. In the valley of the Shire, on the south coast of Lake Nyasa, in the
great Luangwa Valley and on the Central Zambezi, the heat is frightful just
\ j;e ;j
"i I \
I " •
:,, "Ife:
fi ^
•
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
41
before the rains, registering occasionally temperatures as high as n8D in the
shade, though at night time falling to 85°, thus rendering it possible to live. In
the height of the rainy season the range of the thermometer is not so high, but
the heat is often more unbearable owing to its greater uniformity and the moist-
ness of the temperature. In the months of January, February, and March the
thermometer may be 100° in the daytime and only fall to 85° or 90° at night.
A MOUNTAIN STREAM IN CENTRAL AFRICA
But on the high plateaux and amongst the mountains — and these high districts
after all represent the bulk of our territory — the temperature is at all times
much more tolerable. Such a place as Zomba1 for instance may be taken as a
fair sample of the British Central Africa climate. Here during the cold season
from May till September we have a day temperature not exceeding 75° and
a night temperature ranging from 40° to 60°. In the months of September,
1 Altitude 3000 feet above the sea.
42 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
October, November the day temperature may rise to 98° and fall at night to 65°.
During the height of the rainy season the day temperature ranges from 75° to
95° and the night from 65° to 80°.
In the rainy season the wind usually blows from a northerly direction and is
what one may call a benign wind, being warm and wet. During the dry season
the cursed south-easter prevails. This hated wind comes up from the South Pole
and is cold and dry. It is the equivalent of our east wind in England and
produces much the same effects on health when it blows strongly. In the
excessively dry months of September, October, and November this wind blow-
ing across large areas of burnt plain — where the bush fires have destroyed the
vegetation and the sun has baked the soil— has a bad effect on cultivated crops.
It seres the leaves and causes many delicate plants to wither. -Happily it soon
loses its effect by passing over the mountains which are always attended by
watery vapour. When the south wind prevails there is a curious mistiness in
the atmosphere. This is partly caused by the diffused smoke of the bush fires,
but it is also due to some other causes not yet explained. At this time of the
year mists often prevail to a striking extent in the early morning. These are
similar to the " smokes " which are so marked a feature in the dry season on the
FIRST VIEW OF MLANJE MOUNTAIN FROM LOWER SHIRK
West Coast of Africa. One understands how these dense fogs occur on any
large river or lake, for instance. The temperature of the water is much higher
than that of the air in the early morning, and so one may see clouds and vapour
rising from the water surface, just as though it were boiling, and these gradually
form low dense fogs which, minus the addition of smoke, are quite as thick as
those we are accustomed to in the Thames Valley, which no doubt arise from
the same cause.
One of the accompanying maps will give some idea of the distribution of
the rainfall, and the names, length, and navigability of the more important
streams. It might be mentioned that almost all the streams given in this map
are perennial as far as our knowledge of them goes. Another map gives the
relative height of the land and the names and altitudes of the principal
mountain ranges. Only a few of these latter require special mention. So far
as we yet know the highest mountain in British Central Africa is Mlanje, at its
extreme south-eastern corner. Mlanje consists of a huge plateau from which
again rise mountain peaks representing ancient volcanoes. It reaches at its
highest point an altitude of 9683 feet. The summit was scaled by Mr Sharpe
and Captain Manning in 1895. Much of the up-reared mass, which is about
200 square miles in area, exceeds an altitude of 6oco feet and is eminently
habitable. The Shire Highlands — or the district between the Ruo, the Shire
•&/r*>
:3N$^
^ A ^
ON I'm-: rri KR RT
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
45
and Lake Chihva— are a mass of beautiful hills ranging from 3000 feet to
nearly 7000 feet in height. The highest mountain in the Shire Highlands
is Mount Zomba. This is a smaller mass than Mlanje but very similar to it
in shape and arrangement. Like Mlanje it is a large plateau but its higher
peaks are rather the up-reared edges of the plateau (like the rim of a dish)
than independent cones that rise from the centre. The highest point of
Zomba is computed to attain an altitude of 6900 odd feet. It may turn out
on more careful investigation to actually reach 7000 feet. In Southern
Angoniland, in the south-western portion of the Protectorate, Mount Dedza
is computed at 7000 feet and other high mountains like Chongoni are not far
off in altitude. In the mountains to the west of Lake Nyasa the higher peaks
of the lofty Nyika plateau reach to over 8000 feet in height. The average
altitude of the Nyika plateau is 7000 feet. One or two points on the Nyasl-
Tanganyika plateau may touch 7000 feet and likewise in the northern part
of the Muchinga (Lukinga) mountains west of the river Luangwa. Elsewhere
•••
THE MI.ANJK RANr.K FROM THE TUCHILA PLAIN
in British Central Africa, in the basin of the Kafue and Lunsefwa rivers, and
to the west of Lake Bangweolo there is probably no greater altitude 'than
6000 feet.
Although they are not in British territory and therefore not within the
scope of this book, a passing mention should be made of the Livingstone
Mountains which border the north-east coast of Lake Nyasa and extend
under various names to the south end of Lake Rukwa. They reach to
altitudes which possibly slightly exceed that of Mlanje and come very near
to 10,000 -feet.
This is pre-eminently a country of great lakes. Lake Tanganyika is over 400
miles in length with a breadth varying from 60 to 30 miles. "Lake Nyasa is 360
miles long with a greatest breadth of 40 miles and a least breadth of 15. Lake
Bangweolo1 is of such uncertain area that it is useless to give any guess at the
The name of Bangweolo is quite unknown to the natives, and must have been given by
Livingstone under some misapprehension. By the surrounding peoples it is known as " Liemlni
Mweru,' o^ "Nyanja": more often as "Mweru." .Mr. Alfred Sharpe conjectures that the nanu
^Bangweplo may have arisen from the combination of " Pa-mweru " or "Pa-nmehr' ("r" and
"1" are interchangeable in most African dialects) meaning "at Mweru." The natives are verv much
addicted to prefixing the locative prefix "Pa" to names of places. In the same wav Livingston-
46
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
mileage of its open surface but it must contain at least 1500 square miles of
navigable water. Lake Mweru is about 68 miles long by 24 broad. Lake
I'hihva in the extreme south-east is also of varying extent according to the
rainy season or dry season ; but it is as a rule about 50 miles long by 1 5
broad. The salt lake Mweru which lies between the great Mweru Lake and
Tanganyika is chiefly a marsh with a few open pools about 35 miles long
by 20 broad. North of Lake Chilwa and separated from it by only a few
miles of sandy ridge is Lake Chiuta, the source of the river Lujenda.
Chiuta is about 40 miles long with a breadth which nowhere exceeds eight
miles and sometimes shrinks to two. In the Lubisa country to the west of the
CHAMBl PEAK. MI.ANJK
Luangwa there is a small mountain lakelet about 40 square miles in area, which
was called Lake Moir by its discoverer, Mr. Joseph Thomson. Lastly, may be
mentioned Lake Malombe through which the Upper Shire flows. This lake had
an area in 1893 of about 100 square miles ; but in 1894 and in the succeeding
years a large sand island grew up in the centre which became covered with reeds,
and the lake as I last saw it was little more than a broad channel of the Shire
divided by an enormous, flat, reed-covered island from a narrower channel or
back-water to the west. There is every sign that in spite of the great rise in
Lake Xyasa this island will hold its own. We shall then witness the remarkable
himself called the lakelet Malombe, " Pa- Malombe." The root "-(•'//,'' or " -e/u" is a very old
Bantu word for "open water." With a different prefix it reappears far to the North as " Rueru,
one of the native names of the Albert Nvanza. It would seem to be connected with the root
"white." It might be mentioned, however, that Mr. I'oulett Weatherley appears to have heard the name
il Bangweulu " in use.
INDIAN
0 f E .A N
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 47
fact that in a little more than a year a lake which has existed beyond the
memory of man has suddenly been resolved into a sandy marsh and a broad
rivrer channel.
I think I have enumerated all the known permanent lakes of the country,
though I should not be surprised if travellers who read this book came forward
and said, "You have forgotten such and such a lake in the Chambezi Valley, or
the small lakelet bet\veen Chilwa and Mlanje, or the great sheet of open water
on the Upper Tuchila, or such and such a lake in the Luangwa Basin." None
of these sheets of water, however, as far as is yet known, have any permanent
existence. They are only the creation of the rainy season floods. Seen at that
time, of course, their existence is recorded ; in the dry season they would be
found either not to exist at all or to be confined to a patch of marsh. There
were lakes atone time, undoubtedly, near the junction of the Ruo and the Shire
(the Elephant Marsh) and at the junction of the Shire and Zambezi (Morambala
Marsh) ; but in the course of time the alluvium of the rivers, together, even,
•
•i HE i.iKunn.A I,ORI;K. MI.ANJE
with a slight upheaval of the ground, or more probably still the deeper cutting
of the river-channel have turned these former lakes into marshes or vast extents
of dry alluvial soil. In like manner Xyasa was evidently united not many
centuries ago with Lake Malombe ; and it may be, also, that Lake Chilwa was
joined writh Lake Chiuta and was then the head waters of the great Lujenda-
Ruvuma river. Much of the decrease in volume of the great lakes must be
attributed to a slow and slight process of upheaval which has caused their
\vaters to more rapidly drain away ; but the disappearance of these shallow lakes
along the courses of the rivers is chiefly due to the rivers having in course of
time cut their channels deeper, so that the lakes which formerly represented
their overflow have their bottoms now removed even above flood limit.
The geology of British Central Africa would appear to be relatively simple.
The commonest formation, perhaps, is a mixture of metamorphic rocks,
grauisackc, clay -slates, gneiss and schists. This prevails over much of the
country lying between the west of Lake Nyasa and the Luapula River, on the
Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, in parts of the Shire Highlands, and north of the
Zambezi. The valleys of the great and sluggish rivers, however, (the Shire,
48 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the Chambezi, the Luangvva) contain an upper stratum of alluvial deposit where
the valleys are broad and the rocks do not strike through. The principal
mountain ranges are mostly granite ; and granite with its upper layers often
rotten and even turned into red ferruginous clay constitutes the formation of
much of the Shire Highlands. There is an outcrop of sandstone on the north-
west and north-east coasts of Lake Nyasa (Mount Waller and the hills of
Amelia Bay are examples) ; a little way back from the lake shore at the north
end (in German territory) ; to the west of the River Shire near the Portuguese
frontier ; at the south end of Tanganyika ; and all round about Lake Mweru
and in the countries adjoining the River Luapula. Volcanic lavas and tuffs are
present on parts of the upper plateau of Mlanje and at the north end of Lake
ON LAKE NYASA
Xyasa. There is a good deal of quartz in the mountains to the west of Lake
Nyasa, especially to the south-west, and in parts of the Shire Highlands (such
as Mlanje). The low flat hills in the Upper Shire district are composed of
marble which yields a very good building lime. Much the same lime is also
obtained from places on the west coast of Lake Nyasa, where there must be
likewise a kind of limestone amongst the low hills near the lake shore. The
surface of much of the low-lying country on the banks of the Upper Shire is
little else than a deposit of the shells of molluscs mixed with black vegetable
earth.
This black "cotton " soil, which is usually extremely rich for cultivation, and
is so much valued in India, is found plentifully in many stream valleys and
depressions, especially in the Nyasaland provinces, and is classed by me as
alluvium.
On the east coast of Lake Nyasa, a few miles inland from Msumbo and
Chisanga (Stations of the Universities Mission), a soap stone has been found by
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
49
Commander Cullen, R.N.R.,1 who had noticed that the natives made use of this
stone in building the mission church at Chisanga. This soap stone, according to
Commander Cullen, is the same as that found in parts of Europe and used as a
lubricant packing by engineers. When prepared for this purpose it is worth £8
a ton. It is quite easily worked, can be cut with a knife, and is not much — if at
all — affected by weather.
In the sandstone formation of the West Shire district and round the northern
half of Lake Xyasa, coal is found. On the surface it is a little shaley, but there
THE LICHEN YA RIVER, MI.ANJE
is evidence that good combustible coal lies underneath. In the Marimba and
Central Angoniland districts, also in the mountains of the West Nyasa coast
region, and in parts of the Shire Highlands, a gold-bearing quartz exists.2
Alluvial gold is reported to exist on the Northern Angoni plateau, in the West
Nyasa district, and at the head-waters of the River Bua (Central Angoniland),
just within the Protectorate. In the valleys of the rivers flowing south to the
Zambezi (in Mpezeni's country) gold really does exist, and was worked at
Alisale by the half-caste Portuguese in the last, and in part of the present
century. Although there are many reports that payable gold has been found in
^ Senior Naval Officer in the service of the B.C. A. Administration.
- Between Xkata Bay and Sisya. The reef here is >aid to have slate walls.
5°
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the rock, which only needs the requisite machinery to crush out, at anything
from 10 dvvts. to I oz. per ton, no conclusive evidence has yet been offered to
support these statements by specimens which can be submitted to analysis. In
1889, however, long before Europeans turned their eyes in this direction, the old
Jumbe of Kotakota told me that the quartz in his country contained gold, and
THE SHIRE HIGHLANDS
soon afterwards he entered into an agreement with the African Lakes Company
that this gold should be worked. The Lakes Company turned over their
agreement to the British South Africa Company, on whose account prospectors
have entered the Marimba district.
Specimens of something very like cinnabar were once submitted to Mr.
Sharpe and myself for examination. They came from the country to the west
of the Lower Shire. We attempted an analysis but although there seemed to
be traces of mercury in the pan we could not authoritatively state that the
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 51
substance was cinnabar. Since that time no further specimens have reached us.
It is beyond dispute that the country of Katanga is rich in copper and also
possesses gold. The copper of Katanga, however, is widely spread in a currency
of ingots over South Central Africa. Malachite also comes from that region.
There is no reason why this copper should not also be found in the same
formation to the east of the river Luapula and Lake Mweru.
Specimens of lead and of graphite have been shown to me, but I was
unable to identify the districts from which they were obtained, though I
understood that some specimens of graphite came from the hills to the west
of the Lower Shire.
Iron ore is nearly everywhere abundant. Excellent haematite iron comes
from the Upper Shire district. We have actually used some of this iron — have
had it smelted and worked by native blacksmiths— for making the parts of a
gun and such other relatively simple things which were within the scope of
native blacksmiths or Sikh artizans.
Garnets are found in the stream valleys of Mlanje. On the same mountain
beautiful quartz crystals are met with and persons seeing them for the first
time are often deluded into the belief that they have obtained diamonds. Xo
trace of the blue diamond clay has ever yet been met with in Central Africa.1
There are no deposits of rock-salt, so far as I am aware, but salt is obtained
from the brackish marsh called by the name of Mweru which lies between the
great lake M \veru and Tanganyika ; also from the marsh country in the West
Shire district, and from the brackish Lake Chilwa.2
But salt is also obtained both good and abundant — though rather dark in
colour — from the ashes of grasses and other plants growing on the mountain
plateaux and in the vicinity of rivers and lakes. On the whole, in one way or
another British Central Africa may be considered to be well supplied with salt
manufactured by the natives, which is a favourite article of commerce and is
even a good deal used by Europeans, who in their cooking, if not on their tables,
at any rate in their kitchens, use it in preference to the imported article.
1 Commander Cullen supplies the following note :— " In the upper waters of the Lintipe river
(Central Angomland) the formation is the same as that of the Vaal River Valley : and as garnets and
crystals are found in it, if it were properly worked it seems probable it might prove diamondiferous."
Mr. ^Sharpe describes as follows the way in which the natives extract salt from the Mweru
swamp :- The natives dwelling round the great Mweru salt swamp take the salt-impregnated earth
ound the lake shore and put it into funnels made of closely woven grass rope. They then pour in
water and stir up the salt earth. The water takes up the salt and filtering through the grass funnel
carries the salt m solution into pots placed below. The water is then evaporated and cakes of pure
salt are left. '
APPENDIX
THE COAL OF NYASALAND
Report by the Director of the Scientific Department of the Imperial Institute on two samples of coal from
Nyasaland, received through Mr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., from Mr. Alfred Sharpe, Acting Commissioner
and Consul-General for British Central Africa :—
SPECIMEN A.— Coal from North Nyasaland— Fixed carbon, 57-63 % ; ash, 15-57 % ; volatile matter
26 -bo % ; sulphur, o'io % ; coke, 73-20 % ; calorific value, 5520 units, this is a non-caking coal of very
hue quality, which is likely to be useful for most purposes for which coal is employed. The percentage of
ash is rather high, but the coal is remarkably free from sulphur.
SPECIMEN B.— Supposed Coal from the Son^u;- AYrv;-— Fixed carbon, 47-46 % ; ash, 8 '4 % • volatile
matter, 44-54; sulphur, 0-52; coke, 55-5 ; calorific value, 6050 units. This also is a non-caking coal of
good quality, yielding very little ash, and containing but little sulphur. This coal would be serviceable
either lor heating or for metallurgical purposes. (Signed) WYNDIIAM R. DUNSTAN.
CHAPTER III
HISTORY
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA only comes within the domain of written
history quite recently, Tanganyika and much of Nyasa scarcely forty
years ago. It is just barely possible that the south end of Lake
Nyasa, and it is certain that a portion of the river Shire which flows from
it, were known to the Portuguese explorers at the latter end of the sixteenth
century. The unwritten history, the history which can be deduced from
researches into language, examinations of racial type, native traditions, and
archaeological researches, extends back into the usual remoteness connected
with the movements of the human genus, though in no part of the world
is it so indefinite or is there such scanty and slight material on which to
construct theories.
It may be that something of this kind occurred. Until further facts
come to light, the tendency of such little knowledge as we at present possess
of the past history of the evolution of man is to lead us to believe that he
was developed from the pithecoid type somewhere in Asia, not improbably in
India.1 It would seem, at any rate, as if the earliest known race of man,
inhabiting what is now British Central Africa, was akin to the Bushman-
Hottentot type of negro. Rounded stones, with a hole through the centre, similar
to those which are used by the Bushmen in the south for weighting their
digging sticks, have been found at the south end of Lake Tanganyika, and
specimens of them were brought home thence by me and given to the British
Museum. I have heard that other examples of these " Bushman " stones have
been found nearer to Lake Nyasa, but I have not seen the alleged specimens.
In one instance I alighted on a curious tradition, which would make it appear
1 At any moment this theory, which at present holds the field, may be upset by unlooked-for
discoveries in African palaeontology. Quite recently a discovery of the most extraordinary importance
and interest has been made by Dr. Forsyth Major in Madagascar, an island which was united to Africa
in the early part of the tertiary epoch. This consists of the fossil remains of a monkey-like form called
Nesopii 'heats, a form intermediate between the Cebidoe and the Old World monkeys. The Cebidre are the
American monkeys, a type which is connected with the Lemuroids by transitional forms. Mr. R. Lydekker
deduces from these discoveries that the primal stock of the monkeys had its home in Africa ; that from
the African continent branched off the Cebidae, which found their way to America, and there lingered,
while they became extinguished in the Old World; and the Simiidse, or Old World monkeys, which
in turn gave rise to the anthropoid apes and man. So far as we yet know evidence preponderates in
favour of the anthropoid apes having arisen in Southern Asia, whence they penetrated Africa; and the
famous discovery by Dr. Dubois, in Java, of Pithecanthropus erectus, a form almost intermediate between
the anthropoid ape and the human species, would lead us to imagine that man likewise originated in the
Asiatic continent, which served as a distributing centre. The lowest known forms of man living
at the present time, or only recently extinct, are found in Tasmania, Australia, South Eastern Asia,
and Central and Southern Africa. At the same time further discoveries may equally well show that the
development of the anthropoid ape into man took place in Africa, a guess once hazarded by Darwin.
52
HISTORY
53
that until recently the Bushman type was lingering on the upper plateau of the
Mlanje mountain mass at the south-east corner of the Protectorate. The
Mananja natives of that district assert positively that there used to live on the
upper part of the mountain, a dwarf race of light yellow complexion with hair
growing in scattered tufts, and with that large development of the buttocks
characteristic of the Bushman -Hottentot type. They gave these people a
specific name, " Arungu," but I confess that this term inspired me with some
distrust of the value of their tradition, as
it was identical with the word for "gods."1
The resemblance, however, may have been
accidental. They declare this people to
have been found on the top of Mlanje
until quite recently. Similar rumours were
collected by a Portuguese officer stationed
at Mlanje, and by him communicated to
me, quite independently of my own re-
searches, and the same idea occurred to
him as to myself, that the traditions
referred to a Bushman type. I have at
different times exhaustively searched, or
caused to be searched, the upper parts of
the Mlanje mountain ; but although traces
of human residence in some of the caves
have been reported, no definite proof of
the existence of any people differing from
the modern type was discovered. That is
to say, traces of human habitation in those
caves and hollows consisted chiefly of
fragments of pottery, which is certain!}-
not a characteristic sign of Bushman
habitation. It is probably known to my
readers, however, that real undisputed
Bushmen are found (I have seen them
myself) in South Western Africa, in the same latitudes as the southern
part of the British Protectorate under review. Bushman tribes were discovered
by Serpa Pinto and other explorers as far north almost as the I4th parallel
south latitude, in the countries near the Upper Kunene river.
Here and there, in Nyasaland, one meets with faces and forms amongst the
natives which suggest a cropping out of the Hottentot type, as though the
present Bantu races had, on their first invasion of these countries, absorbed
their Bushman predecessors by intermarriage. This Bushman -Hottentot
mixture, however, is not nearly so apparent as it is in the Basuto and
certain Kafir tribes of South Africa. Indeed when South African negroes
come to Nyasaland for work and one is able to contrast them with the
local natives, one is struck at once by the resemblance they offer to
Hottentots, in their paler skins, more prominent cheek bones, deep set eyes
and flattened nose. It is evident that the Basuto - Bechuana people
especially have much mingled with the Hottentots in times past. It would
seem from the researches of Mr. Theodore Bent in the ruined cities of
1 Murungu=a god. A-rungu = gods. Yet this is not the ordinary plural which is Mi-lungu or
Mi-rungu, though it is A-rungu in the more northern dialects.
PORTRAIT OK A VOUNC, HPSIIMAN
54 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Mashonaland that those earlier settlers from Southern Arabia, who mined
for gold some two thousand years ago and less, in South Central Africa,
\vere only acquainted with native inhabitants of a Bushman-Hottentot type,
to judge by the drawings, engravings and models they have left, intended to
depict natives engaged in the chase.
The evidence which I have quoted at length in my book on Kilimanjaro,1
and in the prefatory chapters to the Life of Livingstone, derived from a com-
parative study of the Bantu languages, leads me to believe that the invasion
of the southern half of Africa by big black negro races, nowadays so familiar
to us, was relatively recent in the history of man — perhaps not much more than
2oco years ago. Some cause, such as the dense forests of the Congo Basin,
must have checked their descent of the continent from the Sudan. They
may also have been held back for a long time — especially on the eastern side
of the continent where the forests could never have been in recent times a
serious obstacle— by the sturdy opposition of the prior inhabitants of Bushman-
Hottentot type. Be that as it may, I do not think the black negroes, the
present inhabitants of South Central Africa, have been in possession of those
countries from time immemorial, and in their own traditions they vaguely recall
a descent from the North.
It is possible that when the Sabaeans and Arabs traded with South-east
Africa, during the first half of the Christian era, one or another of them may
have penetrated into the countries round Lake Nyasa. With this proviso,
however, as to the possibility of such a journey having taken place, it must
be stated that as far as we know, the Arabs did little more in regard to British
Central Africa than to settle on the coast of the Indian Ocean, or to establish
a trading depot at Sena, on the Lower Zambezi.
It would seem to me as though 3000 years ago the distribution of races
in Africa had stood thus. The southern half of the continent, from a little
north of the Equator to the Cape of Good Hope, was very sparsely populated
with a low Negroid type, of which the Bushmen and Hottentots, and possibly
the pigmy tribes of the Congo forests,2 are the descendants. The North and
Xorth-east of Africa, from Morocco to Egypt and Egypt to Somaliland, was
peopled mainly by the Hamites, a race akin in origin and language to the
Semitic type, which latter was certainly a higher development from a parent
Hamitic stock. The Hamites themselves, however, obviously originated as a
superior ascending variety of the Negritic species, from which basal stock
had been derived in still earlier times the Bushman-Hottentot group, whose
languages — especially that of the Hottentot — are thought by some authorities
to show remote affinities in structure to the Hamitic tongues. Westward of
the Hamites, and an earlier divergence from the original Negritic group, were
the true black negroes, more closely allied in origin perhaps to the Bushmen-
Hottentots than to the more divergent Hamites. But 3000 years ago, I am
inclined to believe that the true negroes were bounded in their distribution
by the northern limits of the Sahara Desert, the Atlantic Ocean, the great
forests of the Congo Basin, and either the Nile Valley or the Abyssinian
Highlands on the East. Here and there these different sections of the Negritic
stock mingled, producing races superior to the pure negro, like the Nubians,
the Somalis, and the Fulbe, which dwell more or less on the borderland between
the negro and the Hamite. When the true negroes invaded the southern half
1 The Kilimanjaro Expedition, pp. 478-483.
2 These latter much mixed I am sure with the black negroes.
HISTORY 55
of the African continent, some 2000 to 3000 years ago, they carried with them
such culture, domestic animals, and cultivated plants as they had derived
indirectly from Egypt. I should think that in Nyasaland and along the shores
of Lake Tanganyika, the history of negro culture has been retrograde, until
the coming of the Arab and the European. In one or two places on the shores
of Lake Xyasa old pottery has been dug up at a considerable depth below the
surface, with trees of great girth and age growing over these remains. The
pottery has been found imbedded in the sand of an ancient shore-line of
Xyasa, now covered by about 5 feet of humus, in which baobab trees are
strongly rooted. From the approximate age of the trees, and the time it
should have taken to accumulate this vegetable soil, some of this pottery must
have been 500 or 600 years old. One large pot thus found has been deposited
by me in the British Museum. These few remains exhibit evidences of greater
skill and taste than is shown by the pottery at the present time in the same
districts. Researches founded on the study of languages, of religions, of
traditions, and on the records of Portuguese explorers in West Africa, would
also seem to show that in Western Africa many of the negro States were in
a far higher state of culture 500 years ago than they are now.
The line of the migration of the Bantu negroes in British Central Africa
will be treated of in Chapter XL, which describes their languages. It will be
sufficient to say, as regards history, that we may presume them to have entered
into possession of these countries — driving out or absorbing the antecedent
Bushman race — about 1000 years ago.
With the doubtful exception of the visit of an occasional Arab slave
dealer, they had no contact with the outer world until the arrival of the
Portuguese on the East Coast of Africa, which is the first definite landmark
in the history of this portion of the continent. Vasco da Gama, after rounding
the Cape of Good Hope in 1495, stopped at the Arab settlements of Sofala
near the modern Beira) and Mozambique, and thence passed onwards to
Malindi 'near Mombasa) and India. On his return from India he further
explored the South-east Coast of Africa, and (probably from information
given by Arab pilots) entered with his little fleet the Quelimane River,1 which
was connected intermittently with the main Zambezi, and which, until the other
day, was thought to be the only certain means of reaching the Zambezi above
its delta. This river he called the " Rio dos Bons Signaes," or the " River of
Good Indications." The name " Quelimane," which he applied to a small
village 12 miles inland from the mouth of the river (the origin of the now
important town of Quelimane, the capital of Portuguese Zambezia) is stated
by the Portuguese to have the following etymology. This village belonged
to a certain individual who acted as interpreter between the Portuguese and
the natives. He appears to have been an Arab, or a half Arab. In those
days Portuguese navigators seem to have been acquainted with Arabic, a
language which probably still lingered in the southern part of Portugal, where
Moorish kingdoms existed till the twelfth century. The name which the
Portuguese applied to this individual was "Quelimane" (pronounced Keliman).
Xow in the corrupt Coast Arabic " Kaliman " is the word for "Interpreter."'-
Consequently the name of the modern town Quelimane3 is simply derived
1 On Jan. 22nd, 1498. - In Svvahili this becomes Mkaliinani.
:i I have taken the opportunity to give this bit of etymology as there lias long been a misapprehension
as to the correct spelling of Quelimane, which was thought wrongly to be derived from " Kilimani,"
which means in Svvahili " on the hill." But there is no hill within eighty miles of Ouelimane. The true
native name of this place is " Chuabo."
56 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
from the term " Interpreter," applied to this guide and go-between of Vasco
da Gama.
For some five centuries before the Portuguese arrived the Arabs of
Southern and Eastern Arabia had formed or re-formed settlements along the
East Coast of Africa from Somaliland to Sofala.1 In the direction of British
Central Africa they were chiefly established at Mozambique, Ngoji (Angoche),
and Sena on the Zambezi. They apparently found no direct entrance into the
Zambezi River which could be easily navigated by their daus, and preferred
to use the Quelimane River. This in exceptional rainy seasons at the present
day becomes connected with the Zambezi river, by overflow creeks ; and
possibly some centuries ago was the most northern branch of the delta. The
Arabs would seem, therefore, to have gone up this river past Quelimane, and
then to have travelled either by water when the river was full, or overland
at other seasons, to Sena, a settlement not far from the junction of the Zambezi
and the Shire. From Sena again they had overland communication to their
settlements at Sofala, near the modern town of Beira.2
At first the Portuguese were received by the Arabs in a friendly fashion, and
several of the Portuguese were taken up by Arab guides from Quelimane to
Sena. Before many years3 were over the Portuguese had dispossessed the
Arabs, and driven them away. From Sofala to Mozambique they replaced
them so completely, with the exception of their settlements at Angoche,4 that
they disappeared entirely and never returned, even after the temporary decay
of the Portuguese power which enabled the Arabs to reconquer the East Coast
of Africa as far south as Kilwa.
At first Sena, on the Lower Zambezi, was the headquarters of the Portu-
guese Administration, and from hence various expeditions, during the sixteenth
century, were sent southwards to discover the gold mines of Manika — expedi-
tions which were mostly unsuccessful, owing to the unhealthiness of the climate
and the presence of the Tsetse fly. Another obstacle in the way of Portuguese
enterprise was the kingdom of Monomotapa,5 a powerful empire of Bantu
negroes, probably related in stock to the Zulus. The influence of Monomotapa
must have ranged from the vicinity of the south end of Lake Nyasa to the
Limpopo River. Simultaneously with the first Portuguese " Conquistadores "
1 I say "re-formed" because we are now practically certain that some races of Southern Arabia had
founded their ancient settlements— possibly in connection with the Phoenicians— in South-eastern Africa,
not only on the East Coast but far in the interior of Mashonaland. These settlements were, it is supposed,
destroyed by the advent of the Bantu tribes from the North, who were far more formidable enemies to
tackle than the feeble Bushmen and Hottentots. It is possible that the natives of Arabia did not entirely
give up their African trade, though they had to quit the interior and confine their settlements to the coast.
I Jut whether or no there was a gap in Arab enterprise in the early part of the Christian era, there was a
great revival in the tenth century, and in the eleventh century a strong Arab kingdom was formed at
Kilwa (midway between Zan/.ibar and Mo9ambique) which exercised a kind of suzerainty over the other
settlements or Sultanates. Mosques were built at this period, the remains of which may be seen at the
present day.
2 Beira was the name given to this place not many y.ears ago by the Portuguese, when it was
first founded, after Col. Paiva d'Andrada's explorations of the Pungwe river. "Beira" is the name of
national peculiarities to devote all our best energy to a mispronunciation of foreign words.
3 I believe the Arabs remained in possession of Sena until near the end of the sixteenth century.
4 Which really remain unconquered to this day.
5 This name was derived from the native appellation of the Makaranga chief, and is apparently a
corruption of " Mwene Mutapa " = " Lord Hippopotamus"; or " Mwana-Mutapa"- -" Child of the
Hippopotamus." The hippopotamus was much reverenced by the tribes of the Central Zambezi, and
is so, to some extent, still.
HISTORY
57
and mining adventurers came lion-hearted Jesuit Missionaries, resolved on
repeating in the Zambezi countries the successes they had obtained in
Christianising the kingdom of the Congo. Several of these men were
martyred by the orders of the Emperor of Monomotapa ; but eventually
they established themselves at Zumbo, on the Central Zambezi, at the con-
fluence of the great Luangwa River.
The modern capital of Tete,1 which is the most important town on the
Zambezi, was not founded until the middle of the seventeenth century, and was
merely a station of Jesuit Missionaries originally, though afterwards taken over
by the Portuguese Government. At first, however, the principal towns were
Zumbo and Sena.
GOVERNOR'S HOUSE, TETE
The Portuguese soon penetrated northward of the Zambezi, in the direction
of the Maravi country and the watershed of Lake Xyasa. Here they dis-
covered, or re-discovered, from hints given by Arabs or natives, the gold
deposits of Misale,2 and for some century or so afterwards these gold mines
were extensively worked. Curiously enough, however, the chief mineral dis-
coveries of the Portuguese at this time lay in the direction of silver, though
at the present time we have no knowledge of any existing silver mines in the
Zambezi countries.
In 1616 a Portuguese, named Jaspar Bocarro, offered to carry samples of
Zambezi silver overland from the Central Zambezi to Malindi, a Portuguese
settlement to the north of Mombasa, without going near Mozambique. The
1 Tete is the name for a reed. The plural " Matete" means "a reed-bed." It is possible that this
was the etymology of the name, as the shore is very reedy about that part of the Zambezi. But the
native name of Tete is " Nyungwi."
2 Nowadays Misale lies within the British sphere of influence, and a British company is attempting
to work its gold.
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
THE ISLAND OF MOZAMBIQUE, SEEN FROM THE MAINLAND
motive of this offer lay in the fact that considerable friction existed between
the Central Government of Mogambique, which was under the Viceroys of
India, and the Portuguese adventurers on the Zambezi, who strongly objected
to the grinding monopolies which the Mogambique Government sought to
establish. Jaspar Bocarro apparently journeyed from where the town of Tete
now stands to the Upper Shire River, crossing that stream near its junction
with the Ruo ; and then, passing through the Anguru country in the vicinity
of Lake Chilvva, he entered the Lujenda Valley, and so travelled on to the
Ruvuma River, and thence to the coast at Mikindani. ^ From Mikindani he
continued his journey to Malindi by sea. So far as reliable records go, this was
the first European to enter what is now styled " British Central Africa."
The Jesuit priests from Zumbo had journeyed westward into the country
of the Batonga or Batoka,1 and northwards up the Luangwa River. They
1 Sir John Kirk, when travelling with Livingstone, in 1859, discovered groves of fruit trees in the
Batoka country which may have been introduced by the Jesuits.
HISTORY
59
transmitted rumours of a great lake (Nyasa), which they styled Lake " Maravi."
This really meant " a lake in the country of the Maravi," Maravi being an old
name (now nearly extinct) of the Nyanja tribes in the south-west of Xyasa-
land. But in the middle of the eighteenth century the Jesuits were expelled
from all the Portuguese Dominions by order of the Marquez de Pombal ; and
after their departure from the Central Zambezi there was a temporary diminu-
tion of Portuguese activity. At the very end of the last century, however, the
interest of the Portuguese Government in its East African possessions was
revived by the British Government having taken possession of the Cape of
Good Hope at the outbreak of the war with France. In the year following
the seizure of Cape Town1 by an English force, Dr. Francisco Jose Maria de
Lacerda e Almeida, a distinguished scientific man who was a native of Brazil,
and a Doctor of Mathematics at Coimbra University (Portugal), addressed a very
remarkable letter to the Portuguese Government, setting forth that the results
of the English invasion of Capetown would be the creation of a great British
South African Empire, which wrould, if not counteracted in time, spread north-
wards across the Zambezi, and separate the Portuguese Dominions of Angola
and Mozambique. This, I think, at the period and with the limited
geographical knowledge then possessed by even a Portuguese University,
was one of the most remarkable instances of political foresight which can
be quoted. The Portuguese Government was so struck with Dr. Lacerda's
arguments that it appointed him Governor of the Rios de Sena,'2 and
authorised him to conduct an expedition "a contra-costa " — across Africa from
the Zambezi countries to Angola, establishing Portuguese Suzerainty along his
route.
It should be stated at this juncture that not nearly so many white Portuguese
had assisted in opening up the East African territories, as had settled in Angola,
and on the West Coast of Africa. In those days the Portuguese East African
possessions were generally knit up with their Viceroyalty of India, and the
pure-blooded Portuguese in the Zambezi countries were few in number
compared to the " Canarins " or Canarese. These people were half-caste
natives of Goa, with more or less Indian blood in their veins, and constituted
the principal element in the Portuguese Zambezi settlements. They were very
enterprising men, though they relapsed into semi-savagery, and as slave-traders
and robbers had a record almost more evil than that of the Arabs. Nevertheless
the European blood in their veins sharply distinguished these Goanese from
the unlettered black people, and of some of their journeys they kept more
or less intelligent records. Two Goanese of the name of Pereira, father and
son, had gone gold hunting to the north of the Zambezi, and had eventually
pushed on with their armed slaves till they reached the Kazembe's country,
near Lake Mweru. The reports which they gave of the Kazembe (a lieutenant
or satrap of the Muata Yanvo of Lunda) decided Dr. Lacerda to proceed
thither on his way across to Angola. His expedition numbered about 75
white Portuguese, and the two Pereiras accompanied it as guides. Dr. Lacerda,
however, only succeeded in reaching Kazembe's capital, near the south end of
Lake Mweru, and eventually died there on the iSth October, 1798. After his
death the expedition became so disorganised that instead of continuing the
journey to Angola it returned to Tete.
At the beginning of the present century two half-caste Portuguese, named
Baptista and Amaro Jose, crossed from the Kwango River in the interior
1 Which took place in 1795. - The old name for the Xanibe/i.
60 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
of Angola to the Kazembe's country, near Lake Mvveru, and thence to Tete
on the Zambezi. In 1831 Major Monteiro and Captain Gamitto conducted
a mission from Tete to the Kazembe, and some years subsequently Silva Porto,
a Portuguese colonist, of Bihe, in the interior of Benguela, is also said to have
rambled over much of South Central Africa ; further, a certain Candido de
Costa Cardoso claimed that he sighted the south-west corner of Lake Nyasa
in 1846; but none of these explorers, \vith the exception of Dr. Lacerda,
possessed any scientific qualifications, and their journeys led to little or no
geographical information or political ascendancy. Indeed, what is remarkable
about Dr. Lacerda, to say nothing of the other explorers, was the extraordinary
bad luck which prevented him from sighting any important river or lake. He
reached a point within a few miles of the large Lake Mweru, and yet either
never saw it, or thought it not worth mention. He heard vague rumours of
Tanganyika and of Nyasa, but did not direct his steps in either direction ;
and, stranger still, he missed the recognition of the remarkable Luapula, which
we now know to be the Upper Congo, though he must have actually been
within sight of it.
The real history of British Central Africa begins with the advent of
Livingstone. This intrepid missionary had gradually pushed his explorations
northwards from the Cape of Good Hope until he reached the Central Zambezi
in 1851, accompanied by the celebrated sportsman Mr. Oswell. Impressed
with the importance of his discovery Livingstone returned to Cape Town,
and with the generous assistance of Mr. Oswell, was enabled not only to send
his wife and children out of harm's way, but to equip himself for the tremendous
exploration of South Central Africa, which he had determined to accomplish.
Having perfected himself in astronomical observations, under the tuition of the
Astronomer-Royal of Cape Town, Livingstone started for the North and once
more reached the Zambezi, near its confluence with the Chobe. Thence he
travelled up the Zambezi to its source, and across to Angola and again back
from Angola and down the Zambezi to its mouth, or more correctly speaking
to Quelimane, on the Indian Ocean. This epoch-making journey had important
and far-reaching results. Livingstone was sent back by the British Government
at the head of a well-equipped expedition, and was accompanied amongst
others by Dr., now Sir John, Kirk, who, besides being medical officer, was
the naturalist of the expedition.
After a journey to Tete and visits to the " Quebrabaco " Rapids for the
purpose of determining the navigability of the Zambezi above Tete, Livingstone
determined to search for and find the reported great lake out of which the Shire1
flowed to join the Zambezi. At this date the Portuguese knew scarcely anything
of the Shire beyond its confluence with the Zambezi. They seem to have
lost all remembrance of the one or two earlier journeys in that direction of
Portuguese explorers. Consequently, before Livingstone and his party had
ascended the Shire very far they found themselves in a country absolutely
new to the white man. After several futile attempts to reach Lake Nyasa,
in the course of one of which they discovered the brackish Lake Chilwa,
which lies to the south-east of the greater lake, and Lake Malombe, which
1 The name of the "Shire" river \vas formerly written by the Portuguese " Cherim " (pronounce,
"Shering"); this was later still written "Chire," which if the " ch " be pronounced as in "church"
fairly represents the native pronunciation. But the Portuguese pronounce " ch " like "sh," therefore
Livingstone heard them speak of this river as the " Shire," and thus transcribed it in English. The
correct native pronunciation is " Chiri " (Cheeree), and the word means in Chinyanja "a steep bank ''-
Nyanja ya chiri, "the river with the steep banks."
HISTORY
61
is a widening of the Upper Shire, Livingstone and his companions finally
reached the southern extremity of Nyasa, near the site of the modern settle-
ment of Fort Johnston, on the i6th of September, 1859, tne first white men,
as far as we know with any certainty, who stood on the shores of Lake Nyasa.
As the district in which Livingstone discovered this third greatest of the lakes
of Africa was under Yao domination, he recorded its name as pronounced
by the Yao, i.e. Nyasa; but its most common appellation is Nyanja. This is
the same word as Nyanza farther north, and Nyasa, Nyanja, and Nyanxa
are derived from an archaic and widespread Bantu root -anza, which means
"a broad water."1
Livingstone and his party extended their explorations of the western coast
of Lake Nyasa as far north as about 11-30 south latitude, a little more than
THE POINT ON THF. S. >UTH MK.RK OF I.AKF. SYASA \VHK.\CF. THF I.AKF. WAS FIRST SKF.N
BY DR. LIVINKSTONK. AND SIR JOHN KIRK IN 1859
half-way up the lake. Subsequently Livingstone travelled inland west of Lake
Nyasa till he reached the watershed of the great Luangwa River and it
was upon hearing at that point of a not far distant lake that he resolved
on his succeeding journey, to proceed along the same route, and thus discovered
the south end of Lake Tanganyika, Lake Mweru, the Luapula River, and Lake
Bangweolo. Whilst Livingstone and Kirk were exploring Lake Nyasa and
the Shire Highlands, however, they were joined by a Christian Mission under
Bishop Mackenzie, which had been sent out from the two great English
Universities, and which exists to this day under the name of the " Universities
Mission to Central Africa." These missionaries settled in the eastern part
of the Shire Highlands, just as the invasions of the Muhammadan Yao slave
raiders were beginning.
\ This root is found even among the more corrupt Bantu tongues of Western Equatorial \frica
For instance, the broad estuary of the Cameroons River is called in the Duala tonlnie "Muanza"
and the same name is given to the Lower Congo.
62 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Following on the Portuguese expeditions at the end of the i8th century
to Kazembe's country, a great intercourse had sprung up between the Babisa
tribe, which inhabits the district to the west of the great Luangwa River and
the Zanzibar coast. The Babisa had acquired guns from the Portuguese, and,
armed in this way, had asserted themselves effectually against tribes still armed
with the bow and spear. They became an enterprising people and resolved
to trade directly with the Coast. Not liking the Portuguese, however, they
preferred to journey farther north, and trafficked with the Arabs of Zanzibar.
About this time the Zanzibar Sultanate was increasing gradually in power.
It was an appanage of the Imamate of Maskat ('Oman), and already the
Maskat Arabs (who had replaced the Portuguese in all the trading settlements
of Eastern Africa, between the Ruvuma River and Somaliland) had begun to
push their slave and ivory trading enterprises into the interior of Eastern
Africa, especially in the direction of Tanganyika. Attracted, however, by the
accounts which the Babisa caravans gave of the fertile country in which they
dwelt, and struck with the docility of the slaves brought down by the Babisa
from the Nyasa countries, certain Arabs accompanied the Babisa caravans
back to their place of origin, which was, as I have said, the countries lying to
the west of the great Luangwa River. The route they followed was from ports
like Kilwa on the East Coast to Lake Nyasa thence across Nyasa and south-
west or due west to the Lubisa country.
In the course of these journeys the Arabs became acquainted with that race
of fine physical development and stubborn character, the Yao, who inhabit
much of the high country lying between the Indian Ocean and Lake Nyasa.
In the Yao they found willing confederates in the slave trade, and a people
much inclined to Muhammadanism. Eventually the poor Babisa were attacked
and enslaved by neighbouring tribes who had been armed by the Arabs, and
their importance passed awav. The Arabs and Yao between them began to
dominate Nyasaland. Now the inhabitants of the bulk of Nyasaland proper,
with the exception of its north-west portion, belonged in the main to what may-
be called the A-nyanja stock. These people who are referred to by Portuguese
of an earlier date as the Amaravi, and who are of the same race as the indigenous
inhabitants of the Zambezi Valley between Tete and Sena and of the whole
course of the Shire, are of a singularly docile and peaceful disposition, devoted
to agriculture and timid in warfare — a race consequently that is always falling
under the domination of more powerful and energetic tribes. Before what may
be called the Yao invasion of the Shire Highlands the Nyanja people had been
oppressed by Zulu invaders coming from the south-west. The convulsions
which had been taking place in Zululand in the early part of this century had
resulted in a most curious recoil of the Zulu race on Central Africa. It is
probably not many centuries since the forerunners of the Zulus swept down
from Central Africa, from the region of the great lakes, across the Zambezi,
into Southern Africa, driving themselves like a wedge through the earlier Bantu
invaders, the ancestors of the Basuto-Bechuana, and further displacing and
destroying the feebler Hottentot people. Now, however, with the Indian Ocean
in front of them, and internal commotions and increase of population com-
pelling them to find more space for settlement, sections of them began to turn
their faces back towards the Zambezi. The foundations of the Matabele :
kingdom were laid, and band after band of Zulus crossed the Zambezi about
o
1 Or Amandabele, as it ought to be written but that we English love inaccuracy in pronunciation
and spelling for its own sake. Matabele is the Se-chuana corruption of the Zulu " Amandabele. '
HISTORY 63
1825-6, and in their raids and conquests almost penetrated as far as the southern
shores of the Victoria Xyanxa, whilst they were constantly heard of on the east
coast of Tanganyika. In the west and south-west of Nyasaland they had
founded kingdoms and enslaved the local inhabitants, when the Yao from the
north-east hurled themselves on the fertile Shire districts. So that the unfor-
tunate Xyanja people were caught between Zulu and Yao, and suffered greatly.
The British missionaries and explorers, however, saw little of the Zulu raiders
in those earlier days.1 At the beginning of the "sixties" they were chiefly
concerned with the Yao invasion. After in vain attempting to defend their
Xyanja converts from the attacks of the Yao, the Universities Mission lost so
many of its members from sickness, and was additionally so discouraged
by the abandonment of Dr. Livingstone's schemes, that it withdrew from the
country for a time. Livingstone and his Expedition were recalled by the
British Government at the end of 1863, and quitted Zambezia in 1864.
The fact was that the British Government was at that time discouraged
from any further work in the Zambezi countries by the following obstacles :
the political opposition shown by' the Portuguese;2 the acknowledged sway
of the Portuguese over the coast line which made it impossible to communicate
with any British Possessions which might be founded in the interior; the
unhealthiness of the coast lands ; and the seeming absence of any easy way
into the Zambezi River, all the known mouths of which were cursed with
dangerous and shallow bars. The discovery of the Chinde mouth, which
afterwards revolutionised the whole question, had not then been made ; or.
it may be, the Chinde branch of the Zambezi as an easily navigated river did
not then exist, for there have evidently been great fluctuations in the Zambezi
Delta with regard to the course taken by the principal body of its water.
Following on Livingstone's first journey across South Central Africa, a great
interest had sprung up in France and Germany regarding the existence of the
reported Central African lakes. The German Missionaries in the pay of the
Church Missionary Society in East Africa, had discovered the snow mountains
of Kenia and Kilimanjaro and had reported, from native information, the
existence of the Victoria Xyanza, of Tanganyika and of Lake Xyasa. Fore-
most amongst the African explorers of that day, and, at the time, second in
importance to Livingstone only, was a young lieutenant in the Indian Army-
Richard Francis Burton — who, stationed at Aden, had attempted the exploration
of Somaliland with a brother- officer named Speke. After some difficulty
Burton had induced the Geographical Society and Her Majesty's Government
to provide him with the funds for an expedition which would start from
opposite Zanzibar to discover the great Central African lake or lakes. He
chose Lieut. Speke as his companion, and together they discovered Lake
Tanganyika, Speke afterwards being dispatched by Burton to look for the
great lake of Ukerewe, which Speke declared with truth to be the main source
of the Xile and which he named the Victoria Xyanza. Burton and Speke
were the first Europeans to arrive on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. They
explored its northern half, but not very much work was done in the way of
1 Livingstone however came in contact with them when he explored the western shores of Lake
N'yasa.
2 But it must be distinctly stated that throughout the whole course of Livingstone's first and second
Zambezi expeditions though the Portuguese (Jovernment may have viewed with distaste the interest
evinced by England in the Zambezi and the interior of East Central Africa, the courtesy and kindness
shown by the Portuguese authorities to Livingstone and the rest of his expedition were praiseworthv
in the extreme. Eor particulars of this sec my /,//,"• of l.irin^tone.
64 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
mapping beyond visiting the western shore and making a rough outline of the
northern portion of the lake. Prior to Burton's journey, a young Frenchman
started from Zanzibar for the same purpose, but had been murdered on the way
to Tanganyika, and after Burton's expedition a German doctor, named Ernst
Roscher, had set out for Lake Xyasa in the disguise of an Arab. He reached
the eastern shore of the lake at a place called Lusewa, on the iQth November,
1859, two months after Livingstone's discovery. On his attempted return to
the coast, however, he was murdered by the Yao, a murder which was to some
extent avenged by the Sultan of Zanzibar, who brought influence to bear
on the Yao chiefs to send the ostensible murderers to Zanzibar to be executed.
Another German traveller of some celebrity, Baron von der Decken, who was
the first systematic explorer of Kilimanjaro, had attempted to reach Lake
Xyasa, but scarcely got half way.
Meantime Livingstone, after a year's sojourn in England, had managed to
scrape together funds for another Central Africa exploration. He was very
desirous of resuming his journeys in search of other lakes to 'the west of Lake
Xyasa. Travelling by Bombay and Zanzibar he landed at Mikindani at the
end of March, 1866. He was, I believe, the first explorer to attempt taking
with him natives of India as guards or soldiers ; but it must be confessed that
although the employment of Indians in Central Africa has since proved very
successful, the Muhammadan Sepoys who accompanied Livingstone turned out
utter failures, and were eventually sent back from Mataka's, a town in the Yao
country. Livingstone also tried to introduce the Indian buffalo, an experiment
not repeated until my reintroduction of this animal from India in 1895. It
is interesting to note that Livingstone's buffalos passed through the tsetse fly
country, and, seemingly, were not affected by the bites of that insect, though
they all subsequently died as the result of maltreatment at the hands of the
Sepoys.
Livingstone again reached the shores of Lake Nyasa, at its south-eastern gulf,
on the 8th of August, 1866 ; but being unable to cross without a dan he walked
right round the southern end, and thence turned his steps northwards. At
Marenga's town, near the south-west corner of Lake Xyasa, there were rumours
of Angoni-Zulu raids, which greatly scared the coast -men of Livingstone's
caravan, who consequently abandoned him here ; and to excuse themselves
at Zanzibar for their act of bad faith, they reported, with much corroborative
detail, the death of Livingstone at the hands of the Angoni.
Livingstone, after the desertion of these coast-men (who were natives of
the Comoro Islands) pursued his way northwards, and reached the great
Luangwa river in December, 1866; on the 28th of January, 1867, he crossed
the Chambezi river, which issues from the Bangweolo marshes, under the name
of the Luapula, and is in reality the extreme Upper Congo. On the 1st of
April he reached the south end of Lake Tanganyika, and for the time being,
believed it to be a separate lake under the name of Liemba ; on the 8th of
Xovember, 1867, he discovered Lake Mweru ; on the i8th of July, 1868, Lake
Bangweolo. Returning from Bangweolo, he journeyed with an Arab caravan
from Kazembe's town near the south end of Lake Mweru, to the west shore
of Tanganyika, which he crossed to Ujiji, reaching that place in March, iSU).
After attempting in vain to organize a caravan for a journey round the north
end of Lake Tanganyika he recrossed the lake to the opposite side in July,
and having joined a large party of Arabs and Swahilis, he wandered with them
in the Manyema country for many months. His object was the Lualaba river
HISTORY 65
(the Upper Congo) of which he had heard much to excite his curiosity, and
which river, he believed, with occasional misgivings, to be the Upper Nile.
But so erratic were the wanderings of the Arabs to and fro in the Manyema
country that Livingstone did not actually reach the banks of the Lualaba until
March, 1871. Resolved to devote himself now to the tracing of what he
believed to be the Upper Nile from its source on the Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau to its entrance into the Albert Nyanza, Livingstone decided to return
to Ujiji and renew his stock of trade goods and provisions. His journey from
the Lualaba to Ujiji was accompanied by indescribable hardships, which
produced such an effect on his constitution that they eventually led to his
•death two years later. Soon after returning to Ujiji he met Henry M. Stanley,
who had been sent by the New York Herald to " find Dr. Livingstone, living
or dead."
Stanley's arrival certainly added two years more to Livingstone's life, as
by a series of accidents and frauds he found himself absolutely destitute
of resources after his return to Ujiji. Together the two men made an ex-
ploration of the north end of Lake Tanganyika, and then journeyed eastwards
to Unyanyembe, half way to Zanzibar. Here Livingstone insisted on parting
company with Stanley, though the latter earnestly entreated him to return
to Europe ; but with Livingstone the idea of finding the ultimate sources of
the Nile had become almost a monomania, and he was resolved not to return
to Europe until he had mapped the upper waters of the Chambezi and the
Luapula, together with the river Lualaba, which took its rise in the Katanga
Highlands to the West. So he started off once more for Lake Bangweolo in
August, 1872, passing round the south end of Lake Tanganyika, and reaching
the eastern shores of Lake Bangweolo in the month of April, 1873. But his
race was run, and he died at a village near the south end of that marshy lake
on or about the 1st of May, 1873.
Meantime Nyasaland had not long remained without English visitors. In
1867 Lieut. Young conducted an expedition to the south end of Lake Nyasa
to examine into the reports as to the murder of Livingstone by the Angoni.
Young (who only died a few months ago) conducted this expedition in a most
remarkably successful manner. He left England in the middle of May, 1867,
reached the Zambezi with three European companions and a steel boat on the
25th of July, journeyed with his baggage in the steel boat (which was named
The Search'1} and in a flotilla of smaller boats and canoes up the Zambezi and
the Shire to the Murchison cataracts; conveyed the steel boat overland to the
Upper Shire; reached Mponda's town at the south end of Lake Nyasa;
collected a mass of information which conclusively proved that Livingstone
was not killed but had started unmolested on his way to the West; returned
to the Zambezi, and reached England at the beginning of 1868 after only eight
months' absence.
Young had been greatly helped in his transit of the Shire Highlands by
the Makololo whom Livingstone had left behind in that district after his
withdrawal from the Zambezi in 1864. Those who have read the well-known
works dealing with Dr. Livingstone's explorations will remember that on
his first journey of discovery up and down the Zambezi he had been accom-
panied by certain faithful Makololo porters who had followed him from the
Barutse country, on the Upper Zambezi. The so-called Makololo were a
-section of the Bechuana people who, leaving Basutoland after tribal
1 And is still plying on the Shire.
66 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
disturbances, journeyed across the Kalahari Desert, and established themselves
in the Barutse country.1 When Livingstone reached Tete on his journey back
to the East Coast in 1856 he left behind at that place the so-called Makololo
(about 25 in number), who had followed him from the Upper Zambezi. On
his return in 1858 he picked them up again and added to their numbers several
others who followed him of their own free will on his second visit to the
Barutse country.
These men were very useful to his expedition in exploring the River
Shire, and were of a masterful nature, easily imposing themselves as superior
beings on the timid Mananja people of the Central Shire. When Dr.
Livingstone had to leave the country, anxious to put a check on the
depredations of the Yao coming from the east, and the Angoni coming from
the west, he armed these Makololo, and left them behind to protect the
Mananja natives. The result was that they very soon constituted themselves
the chiefs of that country, and they subsequently played a most important
part in checking the advances of the Yao and the Angoni, and in sturdily
resisting any attempts on the part of the Portuguese to conquer the Shire-
countries.
In 1874 Mr. Faulkner, who was one of the party accompanying Lieut.
Young, R.N., returned to the Shire as a hunter of big game. He was, I
believe, eventually killed by the natives. He had a son by a native wife
who now bears his name, and who was the first half-caste, so far as we know,
born in the Protectorate.
Livingstone's death caused a tremendous enthusiasm to spring up for the
continuation of his work as a Missionary and as an Explorer. Cameron
completed Burton's and Livingstone's map of Lake Tanganyika ; Stanley, at
the expense of the Daily Telegraph, continued the exploration of the Congo
from Nyangwe, where Livingstone had left it, to the Atlantic Ocean ; but in
Nyasaland proper Livingstone's work was immediately continued by the Scotch
Missionaries. The Livingstonia Free Church Mission was founded in 1874
and sent out its first party of Missionaries with a small steamer in sections,
for Lake Nyasa, in 1875. They were joined, in 1876, by the Pioneers of
the Church of Scotland Mission, who chose the site of the present town of
Blantyre, and established themselves in the Shire Highlands, while the Free
Church applied itself to the evangelisation of Lake Nyasa. It is interesting
to note that the leader of the first Missionary expedition — Dr. Laws — who
went out in 1875, and the engineer of the first Mission steamer placed on
Lake Nyasa (the Ilala, which is still plying), Mr. A. C. Simpson, are still alive
and well, and hard at work in Nyasaland, the one as a senior member of the
Mission he has served so devotedly for twenty-one years, and the other as a
prosperous planter at Mlanje.
Shortly after the Church of Scotland Mission had established itself at
Blantyre, a young gardener, named John Buchanan, was sent from Scotland to
assist the Mission in horticulture. 2
In 1878 Captain Frederick Elton had been appointed Consul at Mozambique,
and had obtained permission to conduct an expedition to Lake Nyasa to report
1 Barutse is stated to be derived from ' ' Bahurutse " the name of another of the Bechuana septs
These Bechuana emigrants who sometimes called themselves the Makololo had conquered the 15am! s,
country, from its native chiefs of Baloi race. But as a matter of fact these famous Makololo porters who
have played such a part in the history of Nyasaland were very few of them of Bechuana blood. Many of
them were slaves of Baloi. or kindred races of the Upper Zambezi.
- He was the means of introducing- and planting the coffee shrub in Central Africa.
HISTORY 67
on the slave trade. He was accompanied by Mr. H. B. Cotterill, Mr. Herbert
Rhodes,1 and Captain Hoste.
With the aid of the little Mission steamer Ilala Consul Elton explored the
north end of Lake Nyasa, which he was able to show extended much farther
northwards than had been supposed by Livingstone and Kirk. This northward
extension of the Lake was further verified a few years afterwards by numerous
observations for Latitude taken by Mr. James Stewart, an engineer in the
employ of the African Lakes Company. Consul Elton first made known to us
the remarkable Livingstone or Ukinga Mountains, at the end of Lake Nyasa,
which attain an altitude, in parts, of nearly 10,000 feet. Unhappily Consul
Elton died in Wunyamwezi on his way to Zanzibar.
The Missions had not been long established when they found it impossible
MANDALA HOUSE, NEAR BLANTYRE
to conduct the necessary trade with the natives (for provisions could only
be obtained by barter) and the transport service between the coast and Lake
Xyasa, in addition to the ordinary Missionary work ; so it was resolved, in
Scotland, to found a small Company for trade and transport, subsequently
styled "The African Lakes Company," which would be affiliated to the
Missions (in so far that its employes should be required to do a certain amount
of missionary work), but be conducted independently and on a commercial
basis. Two brothers, John William Moir and Frederick Maitland Moir, were
sent to Nyasaland as joint managers. They had been previously at work in
the employ of the late Sir William Mackinnon, on a road to Lake Tanganyika
which that philanthropist intended to construct inland from Dar-es-Salam,
opposite Zanzibar. The headquarters of the Lakes Company were fixed at
1 Mr. Herbert Rhodes was a brother of Mr. (now the Right Honourable) Cecil (. Rhodes, and had
come to Nyasaland to shoot big game. He accompanied Consul hlton as far as the" north end of Lake
.Nyasa, and then returned to the Upper Shire, where he established himself for some time shooting
elephants, lie gained a great reputation amongst the natives for bravery ami fair dealing, and i'*.
still spoken of by the older men at the present day under the name of '• RoxsJ' lie was burned to death
m iHbo by the accidental setting on lire of his hut.
68 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
" Mandala" (now a suburb of Blantyre), about one mile from the headquarters
of the Church of Scotland Mission. Mr. John Moir built a substantial house
there, which still endures ; and as he wore spectacles he was called by the
natives " Mandala," a name meaning " glass." This nickname was soon applied
to his residence, and gradually came to mean both the African Lakes Company,
and the place where they settled near Blantyre. Mandala is now the official
name of the headquarters of the African Lakes Company and of an important
suburb of Blantyre.
The Church of Scotland Mission in those days — that is to say at the end of
the seventies — was under the direction of two able men, the Rev. Alexander
Duff and the late Mr. Henry Henderson, the latter being the business manager
and the principal lay member ; but it had attached to it also certain lay
members who were either badly chosen, or who developed into bad characters
when they came into contact with African savagery. It is only necessary to
specify one of these — George Fenwick — whose name cannot bs ignored in the
history of this Protectorate. These men soon began to treat the natives with
great harshness, and taking advantage of the dread in which white men were
held, to bully and extort, and raise themselves almost to the position of petty
chiefs. Indeed, in reviewing all that has happened since Europeans settled
in this part of Africa, I have been increasingly struck with the rapidity with
which such members of the white race as are not of the best class, can throw
over the restraints of civilisation and develop into savages of unbridled lust and
abominable cruelty. These lay members of the Mission attempted to exercise
a kind of jurisdiction over the natives in the vicinity of the Mission stations,
and so severe were their punishments that one native was sentenced to death
and was shot, while other natives actually died from the awful floggings
they received. Two English sportsmen, returning from Nyasaland, conveyed
the news of these outrages to the consular authorities in Portuguese East
Africa ; the Foreign Office took up the matter, and eventually the Church
of Scotland Mission sent out commissioners to hold an enquiry into the
charges. Mr. Nunes, H. M. Vice-Consul at Quelimane, represented Her
Majesty's Government on this enquiry, which resulted in the charges being
in great measure proved.1 The ordained minister who was at the head of the
Mission at Blantyre resigned ; though no blame was imputed to him, as he did
not possess the means of controlling the actions of his subordinates. But after
what had occurred he preferred to withdraw from the Mission- Mr. John
Buchanan also at this time left the Mission, and set up for himself in-
dependently, as a coffee planter. George Fenwick and other lay members
of the Mission, who were implicated in the deeds referred to, were dismissed,
and the first-mentioned went to live among the natives as an elephant hunter.
In 1 88 1 the Revs. D. C. Scott and Alexander Hetherwick came out to Africa
and took charge of the Church of Scotland Mission, implanting on- its work
a very different character to the ill-fame which had temporarily clouded its
earlier days owing to the misdeeds of its lay assistants. The indirect result,
however, of the increasing British settlement in Nyasaland3 was to induce Her
Majesty's Government to establish a British Consul for Nyasa, and in 1883
1 The evidence gathered by this commission makes very painful reading, and further expatiation on
this subject i:s neither necessary nor desirable.
2 See an excellently written book called Afritana, by the Rev. Alexander Duff (Sampson Low & Co. )
— one of the best books ever written on Africa.
:i By this time the African Lakes Company had placed their small steamer, The Lady Nyasa, on the
Zambezi.
HISTORY 69
Capt. Foot, R.N., went to Blantyre with his wife and children, taking with him
Mr. D. Ran kin as private secretary.
During all these years the Makololo chiefs had become increasingly powerful.
At first they had seemed disposed to welcome the British, but there were times
when they became arrogant and exacting in their demands. Still, on the
whole, they were a valuable counterpoise to the aggressive Yao, some of whom
became highway robbers and rifled the Mission and African Lakes Company's
caravans. There were two of the Makololo chiefs specially prominent —
Ramakukane and Chipatula. Ramakukane was seemingly of real Makololo
origin, and had been the son of a chief or headman in the Barutse country,
who had accompanied Livingstone back to Nyasaland, after his second visit
to the Barutse country. Chipatula was one of Livingstone's old porters.
Ramakukane was established at Katunga on the Central Shire, and Chipatula
at or near the modern Chiromo, where the river Ruo joins the Shire, and where
the present Anglo-Portuguese boundary runs. Ramakukane was, on the whole,
friendly to the Europeans. Chipatula chiefly concerned himself in repelling
the attempts of the black Portuguese from the Zambezi to establish themselves
as slave traders on the Shire. He not only kept these half-castes at bay, but
even extended his rule far down the Shire towards the Zambezi. The George
Fenwick of whom I have made mention, after leaving the service of the
Mission had set up for himself as a trader and elephant hunter. He was a
headstrong, lawless man, who inspired fear and admiration alternately, in the
minds of the natives. He had had several commercial transactions in selling
ivory for Chipatula, and visited that chief at Chiromo in 1884 to settle accounts
with him. Both men had been drinking spirits ; Chipatula refused to accept
Fenwick's version of accounts and applied opprobrious terms to him. Fenwick
started up in a rage and shot Chipatula dead. Before the chief's astonished
followers could take any action he rushed out of the hut towards the river
shore, and shouted to them, " Your chief is dead, I am your chief now," but
seeing that the natives were rather more inclined to avenge Chipatula's death
than to adopt his slayer as his successor, he got into a canoe at the river side,
and paddled across the river to Malo Island. Here for three days he led a
wretched existence attempting to defend himself from the attacks of the
natives. He was at last overcome and killed, and his head was cut off. The
Makololo chiefs then became quite inimical to the white settlers. They shot
at and sunk the little steamer Lady Nyasa, and they sent an insolent message
to Blantyre, demanding that Mrs. Fenwick, the wife of the adventurer, should
be delivered over to them, together with an enormous sum as compensation
for the death of Chipatula. Consul Foot finally succeeded, with the help of
Ramakukane, in restoring peace, and Mr. John Moir recovered the Lady Nyasa.
Consul Foot, however, died not long afterwards from the effects of the fatigue
and anxiety he had undergone. Chipatula was succeeded by a man named
Mlauri, also one of Livingstone's men, but not friendly to the British ; and old
Ramakukane died. The demeanour of the Makololo as the years went by
became increasingly insolent and hostile towards the Europeans, English as
well as Portuguese.
In 1 88 1 a fresh element of British influence had appeared on the shores
of Lake Nyasa, in the arrival of the Rev. W. P. Johnson and Mr. Charles
Janson, of the Universities Mission to Central Africa— that Mission whose first
bishop, Mackenzie, had died near Chiromo on the Shire in 1862. It will be
remembered that the Universities Mission had been founded at the instance
7o BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
of Livingstone, but after establishing itself in the Shire highlands in 1862 had
been obliged to quit that country owing to the hostilities shown by the Yao.
Since that time the Mission had concentrated itself at Zanzibar, and had
founded stations on the East Coast of Africa. That really great man, Bishop
Steere, the third of the Missionary bishops to Central Africa, had set his heart
on reopening work in Nyasaland. He walked overland from the Indian
Ocean to the east coast of the lake. Subsequently Lake Nyasa was reached
by the Rev. W. P. Johnson, accompanied by Mr. Charles Janson. The latter
fell ill, and died on the shores of Lake Nyasa In his will he bequeathed a
sum of money for the construction of a Mission steamer to be placed on the
lake. Other subscriptions were raised, and eventually the Charles Janson was
launched on Lake Nyasa, where she still exists. The Rev. Chauncey Maples
and other recruits from the Mission had meantime joined Mr. Johnson. Bishop
Steere had been succeeded by Bishop Smythies,1 who if anything took an
increased interest in the establishment of his Mission on Lake Nyasa, to which
lake he paid repeated visits. The Rev. Chauncey Maples was made Arch-
deacon of Nyasa.2 Seeing the troublous condition of the Yao countries, and
the shores of Lake Nyasa, where the unfortunate A-nyanja inhabitants were
alternately raided by Magwangwara,3 Arabs and Yao, the Universities Mission
resolved to establish its headquarters on the Island of Likoma, which is distant
about eight miles from the east coast of Lake Nyasa, and consequently is not
so subject to the attacks of the Magwangwara or Yao.
The Livingstonia Mission under the able guidance of Dr. Robert Laws, M.IJ.
had been for years making steady progress on the west coast of Lake Nyasa.
Their first experiments at Cape Maclear,4 a promontory which divides the
southern end of the lake into two gulfs, were not very successful. The settle-
ment of Livingstonia, — which still exists but where only native adherents of
the Mission dwell at the present time, — proved to be extremely unhealthy for
Europeans, and many missionaries died there. Dr. Laws decided, therefore,
to transfer the headquarters of the Mission to Bandawe, about midway up the
west coast of the lake, a place in the middle of the A tonga country. Here the
Free Church Mission was confronted with an immediate difficulty in the shape
of the Angoni-Zulu of the interior, who were gradually exterminating and
enslaving the indigenous people of the lake-coast, known as the Atonga, who
were related in origin to the A-nyanja stock. The Free Church Mission,
therefore, set itself to work to conciliate the Angoni, and obtained such
influence over them, after some years, that they stopped to a great extent their
raids over the coast people. At any rate the Mission stations served as a
harbour of refuge for the harried Atonga, who were eventually able to recover
their position and assert themselves against the invaders.
About the end of the seventies the London Missionary Society resolved
to take up Tanganyika as a sphere of work. Their journeys thither were made
overland from Zanzibar ; but when they decided to have a steamer placed
on Tanganyika they found it easier to send its sections by the Lake Nyasa
route. The explorer, Joseph Thomson, had reached the north end of Lake
Nyasa in 1880, and had journeyed thence to Tanganyika. This exploration
1 Died at sea on his way back to England in 1894, worn out by ten years of incessant toil and physical
fatigue.
2 Became Bishop of Likoma in 1895, and was drowned in Lake Nyasa a few months afterwards by
the capsizing of his boat in a storm.
:i A section of the Angoni-Zulu. established east of Lake Nyasa.
4 Named by Livingstone after the Astronomer- Royal of Cape Town.
HISTORY 71
had assisted in fixing the relative position of the two lakes and showing that
the land transit between them did not much exceed 200 miles. The African
Lakes Company were entrusted with the contract for conveying the London
Missionary Society's steamer from Nyasa to Tanganyika, an enterprise success-
fully accomplished in 1885. Mr. James Stevenson, a director of the Lakes
Company, was struck with the idea of making a permanent road from lake
to lake, and subscribed a sum of, I believe, £2000 or £3000, for the purpose
of making preliminary surveys. The Stevenson road, however, was never
completed, but the route it was to follow was roughly cleared for about sixty
miles from Lake Nyasa. The engineers concerned in this work died of fever,
and further operations were checked by the outbreak of war with the Arabs.
The London Missionary Society did not, at first, think much of the Lake
Nyasa route to Tanganyika, but preferred the overland journey from Zanzibar.
They therefore devoted their attention more to the middle portion of the lake,
especially the west coast opposite to Ujiji, and established themselves here
on the island of Kavala. The unhealthiness of this place, however, and the
troubles which began to arise on Tanganyika after the first Belgian expeditions,
and from the subsequent uprising against the Germans, obliged the London
Missionary Society's agents to alter their plans. They transferred their
establishments to the south end of the lake, in order to be brought into more
direct communication with the British settlements in Nyasaland.
The first serious danger which may be said to have menaced the infant
settlements in Nyasaland, was the trouble with the Makololo chiefs, to which I
have already referred. The next danger, and a much more serious one,
arose from the conflict with the Arabs who had settled at the north end of
Lake Nyasa. When Livingstone and Kirk first explored Lake Nyasa they
practically only found the Arabs established in a few places — at one or other
of the ports on what is now the Portuguese coast of Lake Nyasa, and at
Kotakota on the western shore of the lake ; l at which latter place Livingstone
visited an Arab settlement under the control of a person called "Jumbe,"
who was a coast Arab, and a representative or wait of the Sultan of Zanzibar.
Jumbe means "prince" on the mainland opposite Zanzibar, and the Sultan had
no doubt chosen as his representative a man who went to Nyasa for trade
purposes principally, but who was of sufficiently good standing to exercise
some show of authority, in the Sultan's name, over the Arabs wandering in
those regions. When I use the term " Arabs " I mean both Arabs with white
skins of pure blood (and usually natives of 'Oman or of Southern Arabia)
and every degree of intermixture and type between the Arab and the negro,
so that some of our so-called Arabs in Nyasaland are quite black, though in
the shape of their features or in their beards, they may retain traces of the
intermixture of a superior race. But all these so-called Arabs are sharply
distinguished from the ordinary negroes by dressing in Arab costume, using the
Arabic language, and by being stricter and more intelligent in their practices
of the Muhammadan religion.
The first interference of the Arabs with Nyasaland was merely to secure
a passage across the lake in their caravan journeys to the countries of Senga,
Lubisa, and Luwemba, which journeys were undertaken for ivory, or slaves, and
had commenced, as I have already related, by their following back into South
Central Africa the Babisa caravans that formerly traded with Zanzibar. The
1 " Xgotangota" — as the natives call it, the Arabs having corrupted the name into the easier pronun-
ciation of Kotakota. '
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
MONTEITH KOTHERINC.HAM
Arabs, however, soon established themselves in strong stockades in the Senga
country, through which the great Luangwa River flows. Then they began
to adopt, as an alternative route to the journey across Lake Nyasa, the direct
journey from Zanzibar overland across the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau ; and
gradually the strong Arab dominion on Lake Tanganyika became connected
with the settlements in the Senga country and on Lake Nyasa. The Arabs
had also found a friend and ally in Merere, an
intelligent and enterprising chief of the Wa-sango
people, who had his capital in the high mountainous
region to the north of Lake Nyasa. In their journeys
to and fro between Senga and the sea coast, by way
of the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, the Arabs became
struck with the magnificent fertility and the wealth
in cattle of the Nkonde country at the north end of
Lake Nyasa. A certain Zanzibar Arab, named Mlozi,1
appears to have commenced by trading in the country,
and gradually proceeded to surround his trade estab-
lishments with stockades and by degrees take forcible
possession of this delectable land. Mlozi had, with
several other Arabs, established strong trading stations
in the Senga country, and was almost a prince among
slave traders. But Mlozi's schemes were not to be so
easily accomplished. Prior to his settlement in the
Nkonde country, or simultaneous with it at any rate, the Lakes Company had
obtained a footing at Karonga for the purpose of opening up communication
with Lake Tanganyika.
The Lakes Company had employed amongst other Europeans two notable
men to conduct the expeditions which transported the London Missionary
Society's steamer in sections from Nyasa to Tanganyika. These men were
Low Monteith Fotheringham and John Lowe Nicoll. Mr. Fotheringham had
become finally their agent at Karonga, on the north-
west coast of Lake Nyasa, while Mr. Nicoll was chiefly ^•••••K
employed on Tanganyika and in going backwards and
forwards between Nyasa and Tanganyika. Fothering-
ham was a man of very strong character and upright
disposition, severe occasionally with the natives in
maintaining the laws which he laid down for the
maintenance of order, but of great bravery, and
absolutely just in his dealings. No qualities ensure
a man greater favour amongst the negroes than
mingled firmness and justice ; and the natives of the
north end of Lake Nyasa, the Mambwe of the Nyasa-
Tanganyika plateau, and the Atonga of West Nyasa,
came by degrees to look upon Mr. Fotheringham2 as
their natural leader and champion. The Arabs under
Mlozi began to press their rule on the Nkonde people.
The Wankonde looked to Fotheringham for advice and protection. Fothering-
ham was at first disinclined to interfere in the quarrels, as he feared that the
1 Mlozi means in Swahili "an almond tree"; but I expect the real derivation of the word is
from Mulozi (= a sorcerer) in the dialects spoken in the Senga and Bisa countries.
2 Whom they called Montisi, from an Africanising of his second name.
LU\VK MCOI.I.
HISTORY
73
results of a fight with the Arabs might seriously prejudice the Lakes Company's
position, and cut off communication with Lake Tanganyika ; but he was not
long left the choice of remaining neutral, for the Arabs appear to have come to
the conclusion that the conquest of all the Nkonde country was impossible
until they had first driven out the British traders and Missionaries ; for two
missionaries, the Rev. Mr. Bain and Dr. Kerr Cross,1 had already settled at the
north end of Lake Xyasa in the service of the Free Church Mission. Of
course much of the friction that had arisen between the Arabs and the Lakes
Company's agent came from the undoubted sympathy which the British traders
showed for the YVankonde in their hopeless struggle against the Arab forces.
One fact may be cited in particular as an example of the atrocious way in
GROUP OK WANKONDE (NORTH NYASAJ
which the Arabs conducted this war of conquest. The Wankonde, who were
entirely and only armed with spears, had been defeated in an engagement with
the Arabs, and took refuge on the banks of the Kambwe lagoon, on the shore
of Lake Nyasa. The Arabs surrounded them, set fire to the dry reeds, and
compelled the wretched Wankonde to enter the water, where hundreds of them
were devoured by crocodiles, and large numbers were shot, stabbed, or
drowned.2 Several refugees from this and other fights found their way into the
Lakes Company's station, which was then unfortified. Mr. Fotheringham's
refusal to give them up and his answering the Arab threats by commencing to
fortify Karonga were no doubt the causes which decided the Arabs to make
an attack on the Karonga station. Fortunately before this attack took place
1 Dr. Kerr Cross is still serving as a medical missionary in this part of Africa, where he has done
great good amongst the natives, as well as having nursed into recovery many sick Europeans.
2 Fora faithful description of these horrors see pp. 80, 8l, and 82 of the late Mr. Fotheringham's.
book Adventures in Nyasaland (Sampson Low).
74
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
JOHN w. MOIR
reinforcements were received. Mr. Nicoll arrived from Tanganyika and the
little steamer Ilala returned from South Nyasa bringing Consul O'Neill, of
Mozambique, and Mr. Alfred Sharpe and two other gentlemen who had decided
to come to the rescue of the Europeans threatened by the Arabs.
Karonga was attacked and besieged for days though the Arabs were
finally repulsed after desperate fighting; but eventually the British position
became untenable, and after communicating the
news of his dangerous situation to the Manager
at Mandala, Mr. Fotheringham, Mr. Nicoll, and
the others who had joined them, decided to with-
draw with the Wankonde chiefs into a part of
the country where they would be better sheltered
from the Arab attack. They removed most of
their goods in canoes, abandoned the station at
Karonga, and remained in the country at the
extreme north end of the lake until reinforce-
ments arrived. Amongst the volunteers who
came to their aid, were Mr. Consul Hawes and
Mr. John Moir. The arrival of these slight
reinforcements and the aid of five thousand
natives enabled Mr. Fotheringham to attack,
enter, and partially destroy Mlozi's stockade at
Mpata (in which attack both Mr. Alfred Sharpe
and Mr. John Moir were wounded). But the native allies abandoned the
stockade after having loaded themselves with loot and the whites had to
retreat without consummating their defeat of the Arabs by the destruction
of all their stockades. After this all the volunteers returned to South
Nyasa and Messrs. Fotheringham, Nicoll, and Kerr Cross lived for a time
at Chirenje, to the north-west of Karonga, while the Arabs regained to some
extent their former position, though they never were able actively to assume the
offensive. Early in March, more volunteers returned to North Nyasa. With
them came Mr. John Buchanan (Acting Consul) and Mr. Fred Moir, joint
manager of the Lakes Co. Mr. Buchanan attempted
to negotiate a peace with the Arabs, but the negotia-
tions had no result. Hostilities were then resumed,
but Mr. Fred Moir was severely wounded, and again
owing to the vacillation of their native allies the British
failed to score any great success.
When the news of this fighting at the north end of
Lake Nyasa reached the outer world, several gentlemen
volunteered to assist the Lakes Company, the principal
among these being Capt. Lugard,1 who was constituted
by the Lakes Company the Commander of their forces im w, ^^
in North Nyasa. Capt. Lugard was subsequently re- FREDERICK MAITLAND MOIR
joined by Mr. Alfred Sharpe,2 by Mr. Richard Crawshay
(who had also come to the country as a hunter), by Mr. John Moir, and others.
1 Now Major Lugard, C.B.
* Now Her Majesty's Deputy Commissioner and Consul. Mr. Sharpe originally came to Nyasaland
to hunt elephants and big game, but hearing of the Lakes Company's distress he came to their assistance
with Consul O'Neill in the manner above related. After being wounded and proceeding to the
south to recover he returned with Captain Lugard and 'fought out the rest of the campaign, marching
up overland at the head of a large number of Atonga.
HISTORY
75
Mr. Frederick Moir, whose arm had been severely wounded, had returned to
Scotland to recover his health. From thence he succeeded in sending out a
/-pounder gun, as it was felt the Arabs could only be adequately fought
with artillery. But unfortunately, although this gun ultimately reached its
destination, it was not provided with the right kind of ammunition. Its
MR. ALFRED SHARPE IN 1890
shells merely drilled round holes in the tough stockades which, being made of
withes and mud, did not offer sufficient resistance for a real breach to be made.
A good deal of damage was done to the Arabs who were shut up in their
fortresses and much inconvenienced for lack of food, but the British, on the
other hand, suffered severely, having one of their officers killed and several
more or less severely wounded, besides the terrible ill-health which resulted
from fighting during the rainy season. Amongst the wounded was Captain
Lugard who returned to Blantyre, got his wound partially healed, and then
j6 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
once more took command at Karonga. Captain Lugard finally quitted Nyasa-
land in the spring of 1889, finding it impossible to bring the Arab war to
a conclusion without disciplined troops and efficient artillery.
An attempt was made by Sir Charles Euan-Smith, Her Majesty's Consul-
General at Zanzibar, to induce the Sultan of that place to intervene, and to
bring the war to a conclusion by compelling the Arabs to come to terms
with the British. The Sultan accordingly dispatched an envoy, but he
commanded very little weight in the councils of the Senga Arabs, who
considered themselves quite independent of the Sultan's authority.
The consequences of this war with the Arabs, which was clearly known
by the natives of Xyasaland to be a war for the suppression of the slave
trade, aroused a good many expressions of ill-feeling against the English on
the part of the Muhammadan Vao on the east coast of Lake Nyasa. Mr.
John Buchanan, who had been Acting Consul since the departure on leave
of Mr. Hawes, attempted to open up friendly relations with Makanjira, the
Yao chief on the south-east coast of the lake. He paid him a visit with the
Rev. W. P. Johnson, in the Mission steamer, the Charles Janson. To their
surprise, however, they had no sooner landed than they were seized, stripped
of their clothes, and grossly maltreated They wrere imprisoned in huts,
and Makanjira announced his intention of killing them, and would probably
have done so, but for the persuasion of some Zanzibar Arabs, who represented
that their deaths would certainly be avenged, and that the Sultan of Zanzibar
would hold them — the intercessors — responsible, after what had occurred, if
English subjects were killed in their presence, and without remonstrance on
their part. Makanjira accordingly held his captives up to ransom. They
were obliged to write to the engineer of their steamer, which was in the
offing, to send on shore an enormous supply of trade goods and ship's
stores. When these things arrived Makanjira released them, though he
neither restored their clothes nor the personal property of which they had
been robbed. Mr. Buchanan, the Acting Consul, had even been whipped
with a chikote1 by Makanjira's orders — not severely, but just with two or
three stripes to show his contempt for the British.
After a little vacillation the Arabs of Tanganyika had decided not to join
with their fellow countrymen in the war against the British, and indeed after
a little more deliberation, that section under the orders of Tiputipu2 had
determined to protect the British missionaries on Lake Tanganyika from
violence at the hands of any other Arabs who might, in consequence of their
uprising against the Germans, have resolved to assassinate all Europeans
in the interior. Likewise the Arab settlement at Kotakota, which was under
the third in succession of " Jumbes," who continued to be the wali of the
Sultan of Zanzibar, resolved to remain neutral. Generally speaking, it may
be said that at this crisis the influence of the Sultan of Zanzibar was exercised
strongly in favour of the British. Had he not compelled peace and a good
understanding with them, all the Arabs of Central Africa would have gladly
united in a war to drive us out of Lake Nyasa, and would have doubtless
succeeded in doing so, as in those days owing to difficulties with the Portuguese,
it was found very difficult to import supplies of guns and ammunition.
The general situation in British Central Africa, before I was personally
connected with its fortunes, was as follows.
1 A whip of hippopotamus hide.
- Whom, of course, the British -will call "Tippoo-tib."
HISTORY 77
In the Barutse country, a strong kingdom of large extent, existed a ruling
caste of Bechuana (who had first organised the territories on the Upper
Zambezi into a large kingdom, and had been subsequently dispossessed of
power to some extent by revolution) and the descendants of the old rulers,
who wrere of Baloi, or Balui, stock. These latter had replaced in sovereign
power the Bechuana1 kings. But otherwise the government of the Upper
Zambezi countries in their political tendencies remained much what it was
in the days when Livingstone first discovered Barutseland. Eastwards of the
Barutse country, the lands of the Bashikulombwe, of the Batonga and Manika,
remained in a state of utter barbarism, fiercely recalcitrant to European
researches. Little was known of the country since the explorations of Kirk
and Livingstone; Dr. Emil Holub, an Austrian explorer, had been repulsed;
Mr. Selous, who had penetrated farthest into this part of Central Africa, was
attacked and obliged to fly for his life; and Jesuit Missionaries had either been
maltreated, killed, or expelled, in their attempts to penetrate these countries.
On the lower part of the great Luangwa river, the country was harried by black
chieftains from the Zambezi, who called themselves " Portuguese," on the
strength of remote Goanese descent. In the Senga and Lubisa countries,
Arabs and Swahilis were carrying on the slave trade, and gradually establishing
themselves in the land by means of building stockaded towns. At the south
end of Lake Tanganyika there were one or two missionaries settled and
building. At the north end of Lake Nyasa a war between Arabs and Scotch
traders had been going on for two years. Missionaries were peacefully at work
in West Nyasaland, but on the east coast of the lake their work was
paralysed by the hostility of Makanjira. The Yao, who, since Livingstone's
first arrival in the country, had gradually conquered much of the Shire
Highlands, and had established themselves at the south end, and along the
south-east and south-west coasts of Lake Nyasa, were engaged, either in
incessant civil war amongst themselves, in attacks on their weaker neighbours,
or in hostilities against the British. In the Shire Highlands coffee-planting had
already begun under Mr. Buchanan, who had been joined by two of his
brothers, and under Mr. Sharrer, a British subject of German descent, who
had established himself as a planter and trader in Nyasaland. In the Shire
Highlands the missionaries of the Church of Scotland Mission had acquired a
considerable influence, an influence justly due to their high character and their
devotion to the interests of the natives, but an influence which at that time
they were too much inclined to exercise with the view to governing the country
themselves, independently of Consuls or other representatives of Her Majesty.
The rival to the Scotch Missionaries, as a governing body, was the African
Lakes Company, which was half hoping for a Charter, and was striving to
obtain from the native chiefs a concession of governing rights. Sometimes
the interests of the Lakes Company and the Mission were conflicting, and
not infrequently the two or three independent planters could agree with neither.
The Universities Mission was supposed to hold the opinion that the war with
the Arabs was unwise, and owing to its friendly relations on the lake with
the Arabs more or less attached to the Sultan of Zanzibar, that Mission
did not identify itself with any movement for the expulsion of the Arabs
from Nyasaland. A French Evangelical Mission had established itself in
the Barutse country, and was acquiring a very great influence over the natives.-
The seat of this Mission, however, lay in British South Africa, and so far
' i.e., Makololo. - An influence always used for disinterested and proper ends.
78 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
as these French Missionaries had any political sentiments at all they were
on the side of bringing the Barutse under British influence. The history of
Barutseland is only artificially connected with the rest of British Central
Africa, by the fact that at present it is included within the same political
sphere. Otherwise its history is mainly connected in the past with that of
British South Africa, and in the future it will unquestionably become an
appanage of that portion of the Empire.1
The greatest difficulty which at that time hampered the development of the
eastern part of British Central Africa, was the fact that it could only be
approached from the outer world through Portuguese East African Possessions.
In those days, anyone wishing to proceed to Lake Nyasa, and shirking the
overland journey from Zanzibar, which was lengthy, arduous, and often full
of risk, landed at Quelimane, a little to the north of the Zambezi delta,
journeyed up the Kwakwa River in small boats to a point called Mopeia, then
crossed overland, a distance of three or four miles, to Vicenti, a trading station
on the Zambezi. At Vicenti one was met by either of the African Lakes
Company's two steamers, the James Stevenson or the Lady Nyasa, and so
travelled on up the Zambezi and up the Shire, as far as the season of the year,
and consequent depth of the waters would permit, and thence overland
to the British settlements. This route, however, compelled travellers to land
at the Portuguese port of Quelimane ; and even assuming the Kwakwa to be,
like the Zambezi, an international waterway, a fact which could not be asserted
and maintained, it was impossible to reach the waters of the Zambezi without
crossing a mile or so of Portuguese territory. No arrangement existed with
Portugal to secure us exemption from Customs duties or even graver
hindrances that might be placed in our way by the local Portuguese authorities,
and these authorities — bearing in mind that the boundaries of Portuguese and
British influence in the Hinterland had not yet been settled — were naturally
very jealous of this immigration of British subjects, the said British subjects
being never too careful of Portuguese rights and susceptibilities. It was this
difficulty with the Portuguese which had caused Her Majesty's Government
in 1863 to arrive at the conclusion that the Zambezi expedition of Livingstone
must be recalled. It was again this difficulty which hampered Her Majesty's
Government in the "eighties," in preventing them from affording active assistance
to the traders on Lake Nyasa in their war with the Arabs, and, indeed, in
formulating an}- decisive policy in regard to Nyasaland. Had it been possible
for vessels of fair size and draught to enter the river Zambezi from the sea,
all these difficulties from overland transport would have disappeared. Her
Majesty's Government had for some time past maintained the principle of the
freedom of navigation of the Zambezi, but although ships did occasionally
succeed in getting over the bar of the Kongone mouth — a bar on which at
low tide there was only a depth of 5 to 6 feet of water — the enterprise was too
uncertain to be often prosecuted, and the best proof of its impracticability lay
in the fact that the African Lakes Company had almost abandoned this way
into the Zambezi, and preferred to pay the heavy Customs duties of Quelimane
and submit to all reasonable restrictions on the part of the Portuguese, rather
than attempt to communicate with the Shire by means of the Kongone mouth
of the Zambezi — an attempt indeed which they could only make at fitful
1 Whereas, on the other hand, the history of the eastern half of British Central Africa, east of the
Kafue River, has always been mixed up with that of Zanzibar and the northern half of Portuguese I as)
Africa.
HISTORY 79
intervals, and by specially chartering ocean-going steamers, as no established
Steamship Line \vould hear of calling in at the Kongone mouth as a matter
of course.
At this juncture a discovery of the greatest importance was made, which
completely altered the political aspect of the question. Mr. Daniel J. Rankin,
an explorer who had originally proceeded to Nyasaland as private secretary
to Consul Foot, and who had also acted in a Consular capacity at Mozambique,
was enabled by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society to institute an
exploration of the Zambezi delta. In the course of his journey he discovered
the Chinde mouth of the Zambezi, which apparently was quite unknown to the
Portuguese Government, though it had probably been first discovered by a
Portuguese planter who was working a concession in the delta. This planter's
information put Mr. Rankin on the track of his discovery, which he announced
to the world in the spring of iSSQ.1 It was briefly this, that the Chinde mouth
of the Zambezi possessed a bar shorter and safer and simpler than that of any
other outlet of the Zambezi, and with a minimum depth of water at high tide
of 17 feet (as against, say, 10 feet at the Kongone). At the time Mr. Rankin
sounded the bar, I believe he found a depth of water on it of 21 or 22 feet,
a depth which has several times since been recorded, but chiefly at that season
of the year when the river was visited by Mr. Rankin, namely when the
Zambezi is in full flood. Ordinarily the depth of water at high spring-tides
is 17 to 19 feet. Not only was the Chinde bar a far less serious obstacle
than that of any other mouth of the Zambezi, but its channel from the sea
into the main Zambezi was easier of navigation than the other branches of
that river. In its far-reaching political importance, probably no greater
discover}- in the history of British Central Africa has been made than that
of the navigability of the Chinde River from the Indian Ocean to the main
Zambezi.
1 In the Times Newspaper.
CIHXDH MOUTH (IF THK /AMHKZI
CHAPTER IV.
THE FOUNDING OF THE PROTECTORATE
ANY direct personal interest which I may have taken in the affairs of
Nyasaland dates from the commencement of 1884.
I had returned from a prolonged examination of the western basin
of the River Congo and my opinion was invited at the Foreign Office on certain
points connected with the proposed treaty with Portugal regulating the political
and commercial affairs of the Lower Congo.
This treaty contained a clause providing that Portuguese political influence
should cease in the direction of Nyasaland at the junction of the Ruo and
Shire rivers. Had the treaty been ratified this clause would have obviated any
further frontier disputes with Portugal, north of the Zambezi ; but owing to
unreasonable opposition in certain quarters it was not ratified, and then the
Berlin Conference was called to deal generally with questions affecting the
Congo and the Niger, and Zambezian affairs were postponed in their settlement.
The Portuguese were now free of any obligation in regard to Nyasaland, and
being an enterprising and ambitious people, determined once more to revive
their scheme of a trans-continental Empire from Angola to Mozambique,
including the southern part of what is now Central Africa. They were aided
in these assumptions by the remarkable journeys of their explorers, Capello
and Ivens.
Lord Salisbury's Ministry, however, had succeeded to power, and in several
speeches in the House of Lords the Premier could not conceal the interest that
he felt in the struggle going on between the Arabs and the African Lakes
Company, or his resolve to maintain Nyasaland as a country open to British
enterprise without the restrictions which would result from its transference
to any other European Power. Owing to the difficulty about a direct water
route into the heart of South Central Africa to which I have alluded in the
last chapter, I believe it was not the object of Her Majesty's Ministers in 1887
to establish any actual Protectorate over Nyasaland : they merely wished that
it should become neither German nor Portuguese, but be ruled by its native
chiefs, under the advice, it might be, of a British Consul, but in any case
that it should remain open to the British traders, planters and missionaries
without let or hindrance.
In 1888 I had returned from three years of Consular work in the Niger
Coast Protectorate, and in the summer of that year Lord Salisbury held a short
conversation with me at Hatfield in which he developed his views about
Zambezia. From this conversation I date, to a great extent, my own concep-
80
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 81
tion of the policy to be pursued.1 In the autumn of 1888 I was offered and
accepted the post of Consul to Portuguese East Africa. At the beginning
of 1889 it was decided by the Foreign Office that I should travel in the interior,
and report on the troubles which had arisen with the Arabs, and above all with
the Portuguese ; and that in those districts admittedly beyond Portuguese
jurisdiction I should take measures to secure the country from abrupt seizure
by other European Powers, by concluding treaties of friendship with the native
chiefs, in which they bound themselves not to transfer their governing rights
to any European Power without the consent of Her Majesty's Government.
Before starting for my post, however, it was thought by Lord Salisbury that
I might, by personal intercourse with the Portuguese Authorities at Lisbon,
suggest some modus vivcndi with regard to the settlement of out conflicting
claims. I, accordingly, spent some six weeks in Portugal, and in conjunction
with Her Majesty's Envoy, Mr., now Sir George, Petre, discussed the subject
of Xyasaland at the Portuguese Foreign Office. A draft arrangement was
drawn up, which after some modifications was shown to the Portuguese Minister
for Foreign Affairs, and approved by him. It was then submitted to the
English Foreign Office, but as it did not provide for the exclusion of the Shire
Highlands from the Portuguese Sphere it was not deemed acceptable by Her
Majesty's Government, as the chief object of any such arrangement at that
time was to secure the work of the English missionaries and planters from
interference. This arrangement might, however, have been modified in that
respect without difficulty on the part of the Portuguese, but the fact was that
the Government felt reluctant to push the matter to an immediate conclusion
in the face of two obstacles, one being the want of direct water communication
with the interior beyond the Portuguese Sphere, and the other, the difficulty
which would be experienced by the Imperial Government at that time, in
finding funds for incurring the great responsibility of administering the districts
bordering on Lake Nyasa, a territory that did not then promise much or, indeed,
any local revenue of its own. Two things now occurred to dispel Government
anxieties on these accounts : Mr. Rankin announced his discovery of the Chinde
mouth, and Mr. Cecil Rhodes arrived in England to obtain a Charter for his
Company. I made the acquaintance of Mr. Rhodes, and found him much
disposed to interest himself in the extension of British influence across the
Zambezi. As the result of several conferences Mr. Rhodes was able to assure
the Foreign Office that his proposed Chartered Company would find at least
,£10,000 a year, for several years, for the development and administration
of Xyasaland. Under these new circumstances, therefore, the Government
felt justified in attempting to secure for Great Britain a reasonable amount
of political influence over those countries of Central Africa, not claimed by
Germany, Portugal, or the Congo Free State. The form of Treaty that was
drawn up was not, however, altered, as it was not intended to proclaim any
Protectorate, if more indirect means of political supremacy could be attained.
It should, perhaps, be stated that the attention of Her Majesty's Government
had been drawn in the spring of 1889 to the imposing expedition which was to
be commanded by Major Serpa Pinto in Portuguese Zambezia.
Explanations had been asked for in Lisbon as to its eventual destination,
1 Y\ hat this conception was may be found in an article in the Times of August 22nd, i88S. which it
may be interesting for some persons to re-read now as it was written at a time when such ideas as a British
dominion, including an establishment on the shores of Tanganyika and through communication between
the Cape and Kgypt had never before been specifically enunciated.
82 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
but the Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs assured Her Majesty's Govern-
ment that Serpa Pinto would merely proceed to the Portuguese establishments
on the Upper Zambezi and on the Luangwa River, and would not enter
the debatable ground of the Shire Highlands. Consequently, as the Portuguese
claim to Zumbo and to the Lower Luangwa had not been contested— or
indeed their claims anywhere where occupation or political supremacy could
shown— it was thought that if the Portuguese did not attempt to impose then-
rule on any new lands where our interests might be affected, no such direct step
as the establishment of a Protectorate on our part should be undertaken until
negotiations with Germany and Portugal had, more or less precisely, fixed
the limits of our political influence.
I started for Mozambique in the early summer of 1889. On my arriva
at that place the Foreign Office, at my request, appointed Mr. W. A. Churchill,
Vice-Consul, so that I might be free to start on my journey to the interior,
without leaving Consular matters unattended to. Soon after
Mocambique there arrived H.M.S. Stork, a surveying vessel commanded
by Lieut-Commander Balfour, R.N. The Stork had just returned from Chinde,
where it had been sent to verify Mr. Rankin's discoveries. The Commander
informed me that in his steam-launch he had passed up into the Zambezi, an
had found the channel all the way deep enough for even the Stork herself, and
the Stork was a vessel drawing I3| feet. I felt that it would be good policy to
show that I had reached these regions of the interior, without necessarily
landino- On Portuguese territory, so I obtained permission from the Government
to use the Stork for the conveyance of my expedition. At the same time the
authorities at Mocambique were made fully aware of the purposes I intended to
fulfil namely the negotiation of a peace with the Arabs and the conclusion of
treaties of friendship with the local chiefs, who were not under Portuguese juris-
diction The Governor asked me pointedly if I intended to proclaim a British
Protectorate, and I told him I was authorised to do nothing of the kind, so
as Major Serpa Pinto or other Portuguese explorers took no political
outside Portuguese territory. No difficulty whatever was placed in my way by
the Portuguese, whether or not they approved of my expedition. think parti-
cular stress should be laid on this fact, as had Portugal been animated by really
hostile intentions to Great Britain, there were a hundred pretexts by whic
might have stopped my journey. So little need was there to preserve any
mystery about my operations, that instead of proceeding direct to Chiridt
I called in with the Stork at Quelimane, and there visited the Portuguese
officials, and communicated with the African Lakes Company. The Stork
crossed the bar of the Chinde mouth without difficulty, on the 28th ot J u y,
1889 and steamed up the Chinde River into the main Zambezi, to the
unbounded astonishment of such few inhabitants as were on the banks, K
neither they nor any other people had seen so large a vessel enter the Zam
before A short distance above the confluence of the Chinde with the mam Zambezi
the Stork came to anchor, and we continued our journey in a flotilla ot stean
launches and boats, by which means we finally came up with the African
I akes Company's steamer, the fames Stevenson, near Morambala, a very r
mountain which is situated some twenty miles up the Shire River. My expe
tion consisted of Mr. J. L. Nicoll, formerly of the Lakes Company s service,-
whom I had engaged at Quelimane as an assistant ; AH Kiongwe, my Zanzibar!
headman, who had accompanied me on my journey to Kilimanjaro, and wh<
1 Now Consul at IVfogambique. '-' Just returning from the Aral. War.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
had re-engaged at Zanzibar in 1889; and fifteen Makua, engaged \vith the con-
sent of the Portuguese authorities at Mozambique. T\IQ James Stevenson was a
river steamer of about forty tons burden, worked by a stern wheel, and wit'i
fairly comfortable cabin accommodation, and an upper deck. In this steamer
we pursued our course up the river, until we reached Serpa Pinto's camp,
which was a little distance below the confluence of the Ruo and the Shire. I
had been startled, on reaching Quelimane, to learn from the Portuguese officials
there, that Major Serpa Pinto, after journeying to Sena on the Lower Zambezi
with his expedition, had suddenly, and abruptly, deflected his course northwards
to the Shire, and was apparently making for the Makololo country, and the
Shire Highlands. Major Serpa Pinto had been
apprised of my coming, and when the James
Stevenson drew near he dispatched an officer and
a boat, so that I might land and see him. I found
Serpa Pinto surrounded by a staff of white officers,
and was informed that he had with him over seven
hundred Zulu soldiers.1
The Major received me in a little hut, and after
insisting on my sharing his afternoon tea, we began
to discuss the political situation. He informed me
that he sought my intervention with the Makololo
people, to persuade them to allow him to pass un-
hindered through their country, as he was on his
way to Lake Nyasa in charge of a Scientific Expedi-
tion. " We go," he said, " to visit that Portuguese
subject, Mponda, at the south end of Lake Nyasa." 2
I replied to Major Serpa Pinto, "If you are only in
charge of a Scientific Expedition, you need, at most,
an escort of fifty soldiers ; but the Makololo are sure
to view your journey with distrust if you attempt to
bring so large an armed force into the country ;
moreover, your Government has distinctly assured
us that the object of your mission was the Upper
Zambezi, and not the Shire. Consequently, if you
take any political action north of the Ruo, which we
consider, provisionally, to be the Portuguese limit,
you will oblige me, on my part, to go beyond my
immediate instructions and effectively protect the
interests of Her Majesty's Government. If you merely wish to pass through
the country for scientific purposes we will travel together, and I will do my
best to persuade the Makololo to offer no opposition."
Major Serpa Pinto did not give any very definite reply to these remarks
of mine, merely reiterating his hope that I would prevail on the Makololo
to offer no opposition to his passage ; otherwise he would be obliged to fight
them.
I proceeded on my way in the James Stevenson, and soon afterwards
1 Many of these men were inhabitants of Gazaland and Inyambane, but a few of them were
undoubtedly Zulus, who had been recruited in Swaziland and in the vicinity of Delagoa Bay.
2 I was aware that the Portuguese had endeavoured by means of Senor Cardo/o, the only Poriugin.se
explorer who had at that date reached the shores of Lake Nyasa, to conclude a treaty with M \
but it was common knowledge that although he had received the Mission in a friendly way. he had i.ot
signed the treaty.
SERGT.-MAJOR AM KIONCWK
84 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
we passed the junction of the Ruo and the Shire, and the steamer stopped
at Chiromo, on the north bank of the river Ruo. Here we found a large
native village, under two young chiefs, Mbengwa and Makwira, sons of
the Chipatula who had been killed by Fenwick. There was an English
trading station at Chiromo, belonging to two young English elephant
hunters, named Pettitt. Whilst the steamer stopped at Chiromo, I saw
the two chiefs, and explained to them that they were not to take any
aggressive action against the Portuguese, even if the latter crossed the
Ruo in force. In such a case as this they were to inform the Acting
Consul at Blantyre. From Chiromo we passed on up the River Shire,
through the Elephant Marsh, but as we approached nearer to the Makololo
settlements beyond the Elephant Marsh, the captain of the James Stevenson
became greatly perturbed as to the attitude which might be observed by the
powerful Makololo chief, Mlauri. Mlauri was no more friendly at that time
to the English than to the Portuguese. Towards the English he had been
very aggressive on account of his not having been recognised as supreme
chief of the Makololo. He had several times tried to get hold of the two
young chiefs of Chiromo, in order that he might kill them, and was furious
with the Pettitts and with a Mr. Simpson, an engineer in the service of the
Lakes Company, for having intervened to protect them. Mlauri in those
days occupied a strong position at Mbewe, a place some little distance
below Katunga, the termination of river navigation on the Lower Shire.
The set of the current compelled all steamers to pass close under the cliff
of Mbewe, and they were therefore completely at the mercy of Mlauri's guns,
and Mlauri was frequently in the habit of firing at the steamers to compel
them to stop, and either give him a present or await his good pleasure in
other respects. He had been the leading spirit in the sinking of the Lady
Xyasa at the time of the disturbance following the death of Chipatula, and
not having been punished for this his tyrannical obstructions to river navigation
were becoming unbearable.
As we neared Mbewe, we saw the banks lined with armed men. The
captain of the James Stevenson at first determined to steam by at full
speed, but the natives shouted from the banks that if we did not stop and
come to an anchor they would fire on us. I therefore advised the captain
to anchor his vessel at Mbewe, and determined to go on shore and interview
Mlauri, with the double object of protesting against his behaviour towards
the British steamers, and cautioning him about falling out with the Portuguese.
The Rev. Alexander Hetherwick, of the Church of Scotland Mission, was a
fellow traveller with me on board the James Stevenson, and when he heard
of my intention to see Mlauri, he kindly volunteered his services as interpreter.
In those days I could speak nothing but Swahili, and although this language
might be partially understood by Mlauri, it was preferable to talk straight
to him in his own language — Chi-nyanja.
We landed amongst a jeering crowd of warriors, armed with guns, who
were rather inclined to hustle us, but eventually we found our way without
misadventure to the presence of Mlauri, who was seated in an open space on
a chair, with a gaudy blanket wrapped round his loins, and a tall white
chimney-pot hat on his head. He was surrounded by a semi-circle of warriors
and headmen, and directed us to be seated on some ricketty-looking camp
chairs placed opposite to him, evidently in readiness for our visit. On our
attempting to sit on the chairs they collapsed, and we fell to the ground amid
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
shouts of derisive laughter from the natives. After this I lost my temper, and
so severely rated Mlauri in Swahili that whether he understood the drift of
ni}' words or not, he was convinced I was extremely angry, and being— like
most of these negro chiefs — a coward as well as a bully, he became quite
apologetic. When fresh and more secure seats had been brought for us I
explained to him — through Mr. Hetherwick — firstly, that these attempts to
obstruct the navigation of the Shire would get him into trouble with Her
Majesty's Government, and, secondly, that he had better not attempt to fight
the Portuguese if they forced their way through his country, but should leave
this matter to be decided between the two Governments. Mlauri replied,
discursively, giving as his reason for annoying the steamers that he was not
allowed to seize Chipatula's two sons, and that the English would not recognise
him as paramount chief of the Makololo. Also that he felt convinced that
\ve were in league with the Portuguese, and that all white men were equally
bad. He would, therefore, fight Major Serpa Pinto, unless the latter broke
up his camp and retired to the Zambezi.
I reiterated my advice to him, not to pursue such a course, and then
returned to the steamer, which was allowed to leave without further opposition
on the part of the natives. We soon reached Katunga's, which in some sense
is the port of Blantyre, that place being about twenty-five miles distant over
the hills. At Katunga I was met by Mr. John Buchanan, the Acting Consul ;
by the Rev. D. C. Scott, of the Church of Scotland Mission ; Mr. John Moir.
the Manager of the Lakes Company ; and by a trader whom I will call Mr. S.,
who was a British subject of German
origin. I explained to these gentle-
men the end that I had in view,
namely, to secure treaties of friendship
with the Makololo and Yao chiefs, but
not to declare a British Protectorate
if possible, unless the Portuguese
forced my hand, for I considered it
better to leave the ultimate decision as
to a Protectorate with Her Majesty's
Government, who would probably wait
till the}- had first negotiated a settle-
ment of boundaries with the Portu-
guese. Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Moir
were delighted at the idea of the
treaties of friendship, but a violent
opposition was declared thereto by
Mr. S., the trader, an opposition which,
at the time, I was totally unable to
understand, but which was made clear MK ,,)HN BUCHANAN
to me afterwards by the discovery
that Mr. S. had, himself, attempted to conclude treaties with the native
chiefs, by which they were to yield to him their sovereign rights. He had
not, up to that time, succeeded in inducing them to do so, but he was
counting much on exploiting the ill-humour of Mlauri. It is not very clear
what were the intentions of Mr. S. — whether to start a Chartered Company
of his own, or, having acquired a sovereignty over the Shire Highlands, to
make terms for himself with either England or German}-, England being the
86 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
country of his adoption, and Germany the land of his birth. I do not give
this gentleman's name in full, because, when the British Protectorate was finally
declared, he accepted it loyally. I only mention the incident here because
it was one which rather precipitated our political action.
A treaty of friendship was concluded by Mr. Buchanan at Katunga with
all the Makololo chiefs except Mlauri. Subsequently, when Mlauri had
received his first defeat at the hands of the Portuguese, he made a treaty
also with Mr. Buchanan.
Mr. Moir, the manager of the Lakes Company, had invited me to be his
guest at Mandala, near Blantyre, and had brought down a horse for me to
ride. In those days there were only two horses in British Central Africa ;
one of these was ill, and the other lent to me was rather an unmanageable
beast. It had evidently been bored by the long delay in treaty-making at
Katunga, and was desperately anxious to return to the pleasanter climate of
Blantyre, so that when I mounted at Katunga station, it instantly bolted,
nearly beheading me in the low gateway which formed the entrance to the
station. Its frantic gallop was checked at the ascent to the hills, and I regained
command over it ; but soon afterwards the rotten leather bridle came to pieces,
and before I could clutch at the two ends they had fallen to the ground, the
horse had put his foot on them, snapping them off, and there I was on his
back, without any means of controlling him. He realised the situation, and
once more raced along the narrow path. I did not fall off, but entered
Blantyre more like Mazeppa than a well-conducted British official. In
passing through the various archways and tunnels covered with very thorny
roses, which diversified the garden approach to Mr. Moir's house, I could
only save myself from serious damage by lying as flat as possible on the
horse's back, with my arms round his neck. He made straight for his stable,
and at the fortunately closed door came to a dead stop. I rolled off his back,
bleeding and bruised, and have always regarded that first ride from Katunga to
Blantyre as the greatest risk I ever ran in British Central Africa.
At Blantyre treaties were concluded with the Yao chiefs; and I organised,
with the help of Mr. John Moir, my expedition to the north end of Lake
Xyasa. Before leaving for the lake, I made arrangements with Mr. John
Buchanan as to the course which should be pursued if the Portuguese attempted
to take forcible possession of the Shire Highlands. In such an event as this,
if the Portuguese crossed the Ruo in force and gave any evidence of an inten-
tion to occupy the country politically, Mr. Buchanan was to proclaim a British
Protectorate over the Shire province, between Lake Chilwa and the Kirk
Mountains of Angoniland, the River Ruo and Zomba Mountain. This step,
however, was not to be taken and Her Majesty's Government was not to be
pledged to a Protectorate over the Shire Highlands, unless there was no
option between such a proceeding and passively admitting the Portuguese
conquest of the country.1
Subsequent to my departure the following events took place. Major Serpa
Pinto advanced northwards, along the west bank of the Shire, and was attacked
by the Makololo'2 under Mlauri. Mlauri excused himself for this action after-
wards by complaining that the Portuguese on the east bank of the Shire had
1 The Protectorate was proclaimed September 21, 1889, after the news of the first conflict between
the Portuguese and the Makololo (at Mpatsa. just below the Ruo) had reached Mr. Buchanan, who was
then trying to pacify the Makololo.
2 November 8, 1889.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 87
been the aggressors, and had raided some of his villages. His attack, however,
was completely repulsed by the Portuguese, who inflicted upon him a very
sanguinary defeat. Up to this point Major Serpa Pinto had not crossed the
hypothetical boundary of English and Portuguese interests, which had been
once or twice mentioned to be the River Ruo, and a line — more or less parallel
with the confluence of the Ruo — drawn westward across the Shire. So far as I
am aware Major Serpa Pinto never crossed this line, but when brought face to
face with the question of doing so, and thereby bringing the Portuguese
Government into almost open conflict with the British, he left the expedition
under the charge of Lieut. Coutinho, and proceeded to Mozambique for further
instructions. 1 In his absence, however, Lieut. Coutinho, whose attitude towards
Major Serpa Pinto may be described in Lady Macbeth's lines —
" Infirm of purpose ! Give me the day^er ! ;)
resolved to conquer the Shire province, and meet English remonstrances with
a fait accompli. Hitherto all the other Makololo chiefs had followed my advice,
and had not joined Mlauri in attacking the Portuguese. Mlauri's action was
quite isolated, but Lieut. Coutinho had established a camp on the other side
of the River Ruo, facing Chiromo. The two young Chiromo chiefs were careful
to give no cause of offence to Lieut. Coutinho, who suddenly crossed the Ruo
and seized Chiromo. The Makololo withdrew before him, and he destroyed
their village and erected very strong fortifications on the small spit of land,
1 Arriving there December 25, 1889.
88 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
which is a peninsula, with the Shire on the one side and the Ruo on the
other.1
The Portuguese forces then marched up both banks of the Shire, driving
Mlauri before them. Prior to his first defeat at the hands of the Portuguese
Mlauri had concluded a treaty with Mr. Buchanan, but as the latter had
forbidden him to fight with the Portuguese, he was not encouraged, after his
defeat, to take refuge at Blantyre, whither all the other Makololo chiefs
proceeded. The Portuguese forces advanced as far as Katunga, and were
making preparations to occupy Blantyre, when the English Ultimatum to
Portugal brought matters to a standstill. I have always believed that the
Portuguese Government in Lisbon neither sanctioned nor approved this forcible
entry into the district in dispute between England and Portugal, and that they
even transmitted instructions to Major Serpa Pinto and others not to cross the
Ruo, if by so doing any conflict was likely to arise with British interests ; but
that their representative at Mozambique desired a bolder policy and acted far
beyond his instructions, and even in defiance of them : for at the time when the
Portuguese Government in Lisbon had assured Lord Salisbury that Major
Serpa Pinto had left "for Mozambique, and that the expedition would proceed
no farther in the direction of the Shire Highlands, the Portuguese Governor-
General at Mozambique issued an official gazette announcing that the Shire
province had been annexed to the Portuguese dominions, and appointed Lieut.
Coutinho "Governor of the Shire." These acts were annulled by the Portuguese
Government after they were brought to their knowledge by the Ultimatum, and
the Portuguese forces were withdrawn to the Portuguese side of the Ruo,
though they continued to exercise a strict control over the Shire navigation^
frequently stopping the British steamers and boats. At the same time, I think
it is only right, in historical justice to Portugal, to make it clear that although
this struggle for the possession of Nyasaland was a sufficiently acute question
to the Portuguese, and one in which they were passionately interested, no such
struggle for priority of rights was conducted with more fairness and even
chivalry. For instance, had Major Serpa Pinto been an unscrupulous man he
would have, on some pretext or another, stopped my small expedition, and
whilst detaining me on this pretext, have marched ahead and arbitrarily seized
the country, before anything could be done to preserve British interests. Again,
even after the Portuguese had advanced as far as Katunga, and occupied both
banks of the Shire river, between that place and Chiromo, they placed no
obstacle in the way of my return. On the contrary, the following incident
occurred between myself and Lieut. Coutinho, who had been appointed
" Governor of the Shire." When I passed down that river on my return from
Tanganyika my boat was stopped by his orders and drawn into the bank by a
Portuguese sergeant. I was, at first, annoyed at what seemed to be an attempt
to arrest my progress towards the coast, but fortunately, before I could give
expression to my angry sentiments, Lieut. Coutinho had met me on the bank,
and, raising his hat, said, " I have taken the liberty of stopping you so that you
might not miss your mail-bags which are here awaiting you. As you have had
1 Chiromo^ means "a big lip." from the word -romo, or -lomo, which in so many Bantu languages
means ''a lip." The chi- or ki- prefix in Chi-nyanja has the effect of an augmentative. Mromo means
' a hp : "Chiromo" means "a big lip/' This chi- prefix, which becomes si- in Zulu, has in that
language the effect of a diminutive, consequently " Silomo," the Zulu name given to a well-known
member of Parliament by the Swazi Envoys, means " a little lip," but is otherwise identical in origin with
the name of this place in British Central Africa, for a year such a bone of contention between Knglaml
and Portugal.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 89
a long and arduous journey in the interior, and are also, I hear, short of
provisions, I have taken the liberty of making up this small supply for your
use on your way to Quelimane." Therewith he handed into the boat two
hampers, which contained not only a supply of champagne and other wines,
but all sorts of little luxuries very grateful to the jaded palate of a travel-weary
man. Then, giving me a letter to ensure my not being stopped on my way to
Quelimane, he bade me farewell. Upon my expressing my thanks very warmly,
he said, " We are both doing our best for our respective countries, and however
much our political views may differ that is no reason why one white man should
quarrel with another in Central Africa." This was indeed the keynote of the
Portuguese demeanour towards me, then and thenceforth, and I feel it only just
to place these facts on record, for I have been often vexed at the unjust
aspersions which have been cast upon the Portuguese in the British Press.
On my way up the Shire to Blantyre I had encountered Mr. Alfred
Sharpe, who was travelling up the river in his own boat. Knowing that a great
deal of ground would have to be covered in treaty-making, and that I should be
unable to reach all parts of British Central Africa myself, I desired to engage
some one who might suitably represent me in such portions of this territory
as lay outside my line of route, especially in Central Zambezia and the countries
between Nyasaland and the Barutse. The latter country had been placed under
the British flag by Mr. Rhodes's agents acting for the Chartered Company.
I had heard much of Mr. Alfred Sharpe from persons acquainted with
Xyasaland. He had taken a leading part in the war between the Arabs
and the Lakes Company, in which war he had been wounded. Mr. Sharpe,
who had been trained for the law, had held a Colonial appointment in Fiji for
some years, but when this appointment, in common with many others, was
abolished at a time when the state of Fiji finances compelled severe retrench-
ments, he had been offered a District Commissionership on the Gold Coast.
For a time, however, he preferred to travel and hunt in Central Africa. In
1890 Mr. Sharpe accepted employment under the British South Africa
Company, in whose service he remained about a year, securing for them many
important concessions north of the Zambezi. Early in 1891 he was appointed
H.M. Vice-Consul in British Central Africa.1 It had been arranged between
Mr. Sharpe and myself, before I quitted Blantyre for the north, that he should
proceed due westward to beyond the Portuguese dominions at Zumbo, and
secure to the British the Central Zambezi, and that afterwards he should make
treaties along the Luangwa River and, northwards, to Lake Mweru and Lake
Tanganyika. All this he successfully accomplished. After passing into the
service of the British South Africa Company he made an expedition to
Katunga, but did not succeed in making a treaty, as the chief, Msiri, though
expressing a desire to remain on friendly terms with all white men, refused to
become subservient to any particular European Nation. Subsequently Msiri
similarly refused to make a treaty with Captain Stair's expedition, which repre-
sented the Congo Free State, and having assumed a hostile demeanour towards
the expedition he was shot by the late Captain Bodson, who himself was killed
immediately afterwards by Msiri's followers. His country was afterwards
annexed to the Congo Free State.2
1 Consul in 1894 ; Deputy Commissioner in 1896.
- Msiri docs not deserve much pity. He was a stranger to the country (if Katunga, being merely
a Mnyamwezi slave trader who by the aid of an armed rabble of Wanyamwezi freebooters and coaM Arab-
had carved out a kingdom for himself in South Central Africa. lie was a persistent slave raider and \va.-
hated by the people over whom he ruled. These latter rallied to the Belgian authorities after Msiri's death.
90 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Mr. Joseph Thomson in 1890 came out with Mr. J. A. Grant, on behalf of
the British South Africa Company, and supplemented Mr. Sharpe's work by
securing further treaties and concessions in the central region of British Central
Africa, but the main credit of having secured all this portion of our new
dependency to the British Flag emphatically lies with Mr. Sharpe, who
traversed the country with a following scarcely exceeding fifteen to twenty
men, and, by the weight of his personal influence only, secured these countries
to British interests, besides adding a great deal to our geographical knowledge.1
In my journey from Blantyre to Lake Nyasa along the Upper Shire, my
progress was beset with great difficulties owing to the civil war which was
raging between the Yao chiefs, Mponda and Msamara.
My assistant, Mr. Nicoll, took charge of that portion of the expedition
which travelled by water, whilst I marched overland. As we neared the south
end of the lake we were stopped by Msamara's forces in the belief that we
were about to render assistance to Mponda. I managed, however, to pacify
Msamara by making a treaty of friendship with him, and months afterwards I
succeeded in patching up a peace between him and Mponda.
Mponda's reception of us was rather doubtful. He denied having concluded
any treaty with the Portuguese, but was averse to concluding even a treaty
of friendship with Great Britain, at any rate without the sanction of the Sultan
of Zanzibar s representative on the lake — the Jumbe at Kotakota. Mponda
was a very repellent type of Yao robber, alternately cringing and insolent.
Had not the Universities Mission steamer arrived by good chance to give me a
passage to Likoma (where I was to see Bishop Smythies) I might have
been robbed and murdered by Mponda. As it was my retreat to the Mission
steamer was very like a flight. However, I got away safely with all my goods
and proceeded to the Island of Likoma. My object in seeing Bishop Smythies
was to obtain the use of the Charles Janson for a period, in order to enable me
to bring about peace with the Arabs. At that time the Lakes Company had
only one steamer plying on the lake, the little Ilala — which besides being
much out of repair, was too small for the conveyance of even my limited
expedition. The Bishop was good enough to place his steamer at my disposal,
for though the Universities Mission then and always declared its intention
of remaining absolutely neutral in political matters, they were anxious to do
all in their power to assist me to bring about peace between the Lakes
Company and the Arabs.
We then crossed to Bandawe on the west side of the lake. From this place
Mr. Nicoll proceeded direct to Karonga in the Ilala, bearing letters from me to
the North Nyasa Arabs. I remained some days at Bandawe, concluding
treaties with the Atonga chiefs. Then the Charles Janson called in and took me
down to a point fifteen miles distant from Jumbe's capital at Kotakota, where
its commander landed my expedition on the lake shore. His reasons for not
proceeding to Kotakota arose from two considerations. One was that Jumbe,
after all, was an Arab and might make common cause with the north-end
Arabs and seize the steamer. The second was that at that time the harbour
at Kotakota was unsurveyed and was not thought to be safe for steamers
of considerable draught. I must admit that I landed with Ali Kiongwe, my
1 The late Mr. Joseph Thomson's claims to fame and to our gratitude are so numerous that it is no
loss to him to spare a few laurel leaves to Mr. Sharpe. The treaty which Mr. Thomson made with
the Emperor of Sakatu on behalf of the Royal Niger Company, was alone a transcendent benefit to
British interests never to be forgotten.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 91
headman, and my small expedition of fifteen Makua in some considerable
trepidation. The Lakes Company half feared that Jumbe was going to join
the Arab movement at the north end. At this time, too, all Arabs in Central
Africa were much incensed against Europeans by their quarrels with the
Germans and the Belgians. The way in which they would receive me, there-
fore, was very doubtful. Makanjira on the opposite coast had recently stripped
and flogged a British Consul and held him up to ransom, and no measures had
been taken to avenge this insult. After landing near the mouth of the Bua
river I sent Ali Kiongwe ahead to interview Jumbe and to deliver to him the
letters that I had brought from the Sultan of Zanzibar. On my journey down
the east coast of Africa I had stopped at Zanzibar, and had conferred with the
late Sir Gerald Portal, then Acting Consul-General at that place, on the subject
.
OfTSKIRTS OF K( >TAK<">TA
of my mission to Lake Nyasa. Mr. Portal (as he then was) had interested
himself very much in this undertaking to make peace with the Arabs, and
urged the Sultan Khalifa bin Said (whose own envoy previously dispatched
had been unsuccessful in bringing the Arabs to reason; to provide me with
the most authoritative letters to his representatives on Lake Xyasa, notably to
the Jumbe of Kotakota, who was the Sultan's ostensible wall, or representative.
The Sultan Khalifa willingly gave these letters, which were most potent in
effecting the subsequent results.
Some hours after Ali Kiongwe had started for Kotakota, a Swahili soldier
of Jumbe's came rushing down into our camp, dropped on one knee and seized
me by the leg, as an act of homage. He then said, " Master, do not be alarmed,
Jumbe sends us to greet the representative of the great Queen and of the
Suyyicl of Zanzibar, and he has told us to fire a salute of guns in your honour.'1
Shortly afterwards a tremendous fusilade commenced, much to the alarm of nix-
porters, Who had not understood the purport of Jumbe's message. \Ve then
started for Kotakota, Jumbe's men insisting on carrying me in a machilla.1
Jumbe was waiting to receive me as I entered the town. A large house
and compound was set aside for my use. Oxen were killed for myself and
1 Machilla is a Portuguese word (Latin Manilla], which is universally applied in Eastern Afrir
hammock or chair slung on a pole and carried by porters.
92
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
my men, and quantities of provisions of all kinds were sent in for our
sustenance. After a day's rest I had a long conversation with Jumbe, to
whom I exposed frankly the whole political situation. As soon as I had
quitted the Shire River I had felt free to take open political action, as
after my stay in Lisbon there had been a tacit understanding between
the Portuguese and ourselves that although the Shire province and a portion
of the east coast of Lake Nyasa were territories not to be seized by either
Power without arrangement, the west coast of Lake Xyasa was admittedly
open to British enterprise. I therefore
•• •' advised Jumbe, who was now practi-
cally recognised by the Sultan of
Zanzibar as an independent Prince,
to place his country under British
protection, and to mobilise a sufficient
number of his men to compel the
North Xyasa Arabs to agree to make
terrn^ of peace ; and in the event of
their not so agreeing to place this
force at my disposal for their coercion.
Jumbe, in return for all these services,
was to receive a subsidy of ^200 per
annum. The slave trade was to be
declared at an end in his dominions.
After one day's deliberation with his
head men, Jumbe assented to my
propositions. Treaties and agreements
were signed, the British flag was
hoisted, and the first portion of British
Central Africa was secured. I should
then have been picked up by the
Ilala and conveyed to the north, but
unfortunately the Ilala, unknown to
me, had been wrecked in a storm,
and she did not resume her voyages
on the lake for several years after-
wards. Meantime I waited on and
on at Jumbe's. treated by that chief
with unwearied hospitality, though I
used up almost all his stock of candles,
and consumed all his supplies of tinned
fruits. The only thing I could offer
him in return for all his hospitality
was a bottle of yellow Chartreuse.
Jumbe was a very strict Muhammadan,
especially on the subject of alcohol, but he suffered much from asthma. lie
appealed to me repeated!)- for medicine, and as I had no drugs with me I
was in despair, until it occurred to me that a small glass of Chartreuse might
at any rate distract his thoughts if it did not remedy the asthma. I gave
him a taste of what he called "the golden water."' He at once declared
himself cured, and the least I could do was to hand him the entire bottle,
which he spent. I believe, several months in consuming. It was the one
THE I. A IK l.\\\ AKAI.I >l IM
JUMBE OF KOTAKOTA, \\ALI OK H.H. THE SULTAN OK
ZANZIBAR ON LAKE NYASA
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 93
thing, he told me afterwards, that he felt obliged to deny to his head \vife
" the lady Siena."1
At last my detention was becoming a little tedious, and I was very anxious
about the missing steamer. To soothe my anxiety, Jumbe sent for his
necromancer, \vho was to ascertain, by means of " raml " (sand), what the
MIRTH NYASA ARAI:S
immediate future had in store for me as regards steamer communication.
necromancer informed us that the small steamer (the //*/,,) had run
aground on the rocks, but the "Bishop's steamer"" would shortly call for me
Ihis information turned out to be perfectly correct, and no doubt the
romancer had other sources of knowledge than those which were occult.
! °? lh;L" hi,bi njkubwa," ("great lady ") as she was commonly called
steamer" Ja"S°" "^ '° bt> alwa>'S called h>' the Arabs' " I'tima-aLAskaf," 'he "Bishop's
94 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
His news \vus true, for eventually the Charles Janson, with Archdeacon Maples
on board, came to fetch me and convey me to Karonga.
I found on arrival here that Mr. Nicoll had concluded in my name a
truce with the Arabs, and that the ground was prepared for negotiation.
I may briefly relate that as the Arabs were very distrustful, I arranged t;>
meet them in the bush midway between their nearest stockade and Karonga,
stipulating that they should only be accompanied by a small escort, and that
I would only bring with me the same number of men. I was accompanied
by Mr. Xicoll. Mr. Monteith Fotheringham, and a few armed Atonga. Mlozi,
Kopakopa, Bwana 'Omari, Msalemu, and other Arabs, duly met me at the
point agreed upon. After a brief discussion I read out to them the terms of
the treaty which I proposed, and told them that if they refused it we should
prosecute the war to the bitter end until not one of them was left in the
country. They accepted these terms almost without deliberation and the
treaty was forthwith signed, and peace was declared.
A bull was killed as a sacrifice, and the flesh was distributed amongst our
men and the men who had accompanied the Arabs. On the following day
the British flag was run up at Karonga, and the native chiefs from the
surrounding districts came in and signed treaties, accepting British protection.
On the following day the Arabs paid 'us a return visit at Karonga, signed
treaties of protection and accepted the British flag. Mr. Crawshay1 then
arrived from Deep Bay with a large number of Wahenga chiefs in canoes,
who signed treaties of protection. Thus protection treaties had now been
concluded between Jumbe's territory on the south-west of Lake Nyasa, and
the extreme north-east corner of the lake.
I was at this time much exercised about the want of a secure harbour at the
north end of Lake Xyasa. Karonga was an open roadstead, most dangerous
for landing, for it must always be remembered that Lake Nyasa is as rough
at times as the British Channel, with heavy breakers on unprotected shores.
The existence of a secure harbour in Kambwe lagoon, 3^ miles to the north
of Karonga, had not then been made known, or it may be that owing to
various circumstances it did not then exist as a harbour which vessels of
considerable draught could enter. After examining carefully the north coast
of Lake Xyasa, I decided to secure the harbour of Parumbira, at the
extreme northernmost corner of the lake, for the African Lakes Company.
I accordingly bought the land for them, and placed an agent there to build
and occupy. Subsequently, however, by the Anglo-German Agreement of
1890, the boundary between the two European Powers was drawn at the
River Songwe, and Parumbira fell to Germany. It is now the headquarters
of the German Government, on Lake Xyasa, and has been rechristened
Langenburg.
Only one week was occupied at Karonga in making peace with the Arabs ;
securing Xorth Xyasa by treaty ; choosing this harbour for the African Lakes
Company; and arranging my caravan for Lake Tanganyika. But the reason
1 Mr. Crawshay, originally a lieutenant in the Inniskilling Dragoons, had come out to British Central
Africa to shoot big game, and had joined the Lakes Company's forces as a volunteer in the war against
the AraKs. After Captain Lugard had captured Deep Bay, an important harbour on the north-west coast
of Lake Xyasa. u«ed by the Arabs as the end of a ferry to the east side of the Lake, Mr. Crawshay for
some months garrisontd this place as a fort, and kept the Arabs out of Deep Bay. He acquired a
considerable influence amongst the Wahenga, and was of much service to me in the early days of the
Protectorate. Until quite recently he was Vice-Consul for the north of Lake Nyasa, but retired from this
appointment on account of ill-health.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 95
why it was possible to dispatch such a mass of important business in seven
days, was that I was most ably seconded by Mr. J. L. Xicoll. My having
secured this gentleman at Quelimane as my second in command really did
more than anything else to secure the complete success to my mission. \Yc
started for Tanganyika on the loth of November, 1889. To obtain as
much territory for England as possible I journeyed at first in a northerly
direction, and penetrated as far to the north-east as the southern shores
of Lake Rukwa, a salt lake of considerable size. Mr. Nicoll, Dr. Kerr Cross
(who had joined us) and myself, were the first Europeans to discover
the southern end of this lake. The country all round Rukwa, however, was
so desolate and inhabited by such a reprehensible set of slave raiders, that
I concluded no treaties with them, and was thankful to get my expedition
out of their clutches without loss of goods or lives. Returning to the
beautiful Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, we found ourselves again among people
LANGENBURG, CAPITAL OF GERMAN NVASAI.AM)
who were warm friends of the British, and who everywhere concluded treaties
with expressions of positive enthusiasm. The A-mambwe, especially, had come
to look upon the British as their champions against the Arab slave traders,
and were almost frantic in their expressions of friendship. Nevertheless
the A-mambwe were very quarrelsome amongst themselves, and when I
reached the London Missionary Society's station at Fwambo, about thirty
miles from the south end of Lake Tanganyika, I found the Missionaries
were in a serious fix. In the first place they had been for more than a year
cut off from supplies and letters and were much delighted to get their mails
and such supplies as I could bring them, but they were still more seriously
embarrassed because two chiefs were fighting one another, and their servants
had left them to join the respective sides to which they belonged. A
little good-humoured argument, however, secured peace between these rival
chieftains, who in turn concluded treaties with us ; and I reached the south
end of Tanganyika with no further difficulty except occasional scares amongst
my porters caused by the dread of Awemba raiders. At the south end of
Tanganyika I was greeted by Mr. A. J. Svvann, who was the master of the
London Missionary Society's steamer on that lake. Mr. Swann threw himself
heart and soul into assisting me in my projects. Unfortunately the Mission
96 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
steamer was laid up for repairs, but Mr. Swann placed their sailing boat at
my disposal. By means of this boat I visited all the chiefs on the south end
of I ake Tanganyika, made treaties with them, and further penetrated
the settlements of Kabunda, an Arab trader, who had almost constituted
himself a native chief. It was important in those days to conciliate
Kabunda who had remained neutral in the war between the Arabs and
I akes Company, and who had a great influence over the native chiefs.
was really a Baluch in origin, not an Arab, and considered himself in some
respects a British subject. He entertained Mr. Swann and myself with the
greatest hospitality, and assisted us to enter into treaties with the chiefs of
Ttawa in the direction of Lake Mweru. This being the limit, of the journey
which I had to perform (Mr. Sharpe was working for me to the west)
decided to return at once to the Shire Highlands, as rumours had reached
me of war with the Portuguese. It was a great disappointment for me to
turn back at this juncture, as I desired to go to the north end of Tanganyika
and secure for England the north end of that lake,1 but I felt it to be my
duty to <ret through to the coast and send a report of the work already done;
so I reluctantly postponed the completion of a scheme, which was, as 1
hoped to <nve us continuous communication between Cape Town and Cairo,
either 'over international waterways or along British territory. On my return
journey in which no unpleasant incident occurred, I found Mponda, the
Yao chief at the south end of Lake Nyasa, in a more reasonable frame o
mind and concluded a treaty with him. I reached Mozambique at the end
of January 1890, telegraphed the result of my work to the Foreign O
and subsequently proceeded to Zanzibar to make arrangements for the
conclusion of treaties at the north end of Tanganyika. Not being able to
return thither myself, as my health was failing, I entrusted the task to Mr.
A T Swann and sent up to him an expedition under the leadership of my
invaluable Swahili headman, Ali-Kiongwe. Mr. Swann's expedition was
entirely successful. Treaties were made and the British flag was planted at
the extreme north end of Lake Tanganyika. Unfortunately, however his
treaties arrived too late to be taken into consideration at the conclusion of the
An<Tlo-German Convention ; but Lord Salisbury managed to secure by that
Convention facilities for the crossing of German territory between Tanganyika
-ind Uganda, which will be very important to us in future developments.
In forwarding my report to the Foreign Office I proposed the term "British
Central Africa" for the territories just brought under British influence. Soc
•ifter my return to England in the early summer of 1890 the Anglo-German
Convention was signed, which, among other important gams to Great
Britain set a seal on the work which the British South Africa Company,
Sharpe' Nicoll, Swann, Fotheringham, Buchanan and I had done. This was
followed by an abortive Convention with Portugal which, however, proved to
be the basis of a definite understanding concluded with that Power in 1891.
In the spring of 1891 the British Protectorate over the countries adjoimn
I -ike Xyasa was proclaimed, and by the Conventions with Germany and
Portugal, the remainder of British Central Africa was declared to be an
exclusively British sphere of influence.
After the conclusion of the Anglo-German Convention Her Majesty ^con-
ferred on Mr. John Buchanan a C.M.G., and on myself a C.B. Mr. W. A.
Churchill, who, during my absence in the interior, had done excellent woi
1 \Viih land hunger I'appetit vienl en inan^ant.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 97
at Mozambique, when matters had been in a most critical state with Portugal,
was promoted to be Her Majesty's Vice-Consul ; Mr. Alfred Sharpe and Mr.
Alexander Carnegie Ross1 (who had been British Vice-Consul at Quelimane)
were equally made Commissioned Vice-Consuls ; Mr. J. L. Nicoll (who had
remained a year at Tanganyika to strengthen the British position at the south
end of that lake) was given an important post in the Administration of the
new Protectorate ; Mr. John Buchanan, when he ceased to be Acting Consul,
was made a Vice-Consul ; Mr. Crawshay, Mr. Swann, and Mr. Belcher (the
Commander of the Universities Mission steamer on Lake Nyasa)2 all subse-
quently joined the Administration of the British Central Africa Protectorate.
Mr. Monteith Fotheringham, the agent of the Lakes Company at Karonga,
\\h<> had rendered me very great services, preferred, however, to remain in the
employment of the African Lakes Company, as he was subsequently offered
the important post of manager at Mandala.
In the autumn of 1890 Her Majesty's Government began to consider the
administration of these new territories. It was finally decided to confine the
actual Protectorate to the regions adjacent to Lake Nyasa and the River Shire,
and to administer that Protectorate directly by a Commissioner under the
Imperial Government, and further to place all the rest of the Sphere of
Influence, north of the Zambezi, under the Charter of the British South Africa
Company, subject of course to certain conditions. I was appointed to be
Commissioner and Consul-General to administer the Protectorate, and was
chosen by the British South Africa Company as their Administrator north of
the Zambezi, an unpaid post which I held for nearly five years.3
By an arrangement between the Chartered Company and Her Majesty's
Government, the former contributed annually for a certain number of years
the sum of ^"10,000 per annum, for the maintenance of a police force to be
used by me indifferently in the Protectorate and in the Company's Sphere.
The Company also met the cost of administering its own Sphere of Influence
north of the Zambezi, and further agreed to provide us, by arrangement with
the African Lakes Company, with the free use of that Company's boats and
steamers.4
On my return to British Central Africa as Commissioner and Consul-
General and Administrator for the British South Africa Company's territories
to the north of the Zambezi, I appointed to my staff Lieut., now Captain, B. L.
Sclater, R.E. (who took with him three non-commissioned officers of the Royal
Kngineers) ; Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.z.s. (as a practical Botanist and Natural
History Collector); and, with the consent of the Indian Government, engaged
1 Now II. M. Consul at Beira.
'-' Now H.M. Vice-Consul at Quelimane.
I preferred to receive no pay from the Company, so that I might not in any way compromise my
position as an Imperial Officer.
4 Roughly speaking the Company thus pledged itself to spend about ,£17,500 a year on British
Central Africa. For the first two years, however, the average amount spent per annum did not reach
this sum, but in the third year it was deemed advisable that I should come to some definite agreement
\\iih the Company in regard to their annual contribution, which was then fixed at .£17,500. In addition
to this allowance Mr. Rhodes agreed to provide as much as ,£10,000 for the special purpose of conquering
the chief Makanjira, who persistently raided the south-eastern portion of our territories. Of this sum a
ittk- over £4,000 was actually spent. In 1894 this arrangement came to an end. At the beginning ot
the financial year 1895, the Company ceased to provide any contribution whatever towards the adminis-
tration of the Protectorate, and the Imperial Government returned to them a proportion of the amounts
already contributed. The Company in 1895 undertook the administration of its own Sphere at its own
expense, and the Protectorate was thenceforth assisted by contributions from Her Majestv's Government
only.
98
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Captain Cecil Montgomery Maguire1 (of the Haiderabad Contingent Lancers)
to raise a small force of Indian troops as a nucleus for our police force in
Central Africa. Captain Maguire was to start from India and meet me at
the mouth of the River Chinde. Captain Sclater and the rest of my staff
were to leave England subsequent to myself and also meet me at Chinde. In
the meantime I proceeded to Zanzibar and Mozambique, to make arrangements
for the disembarkation of my expedition at the mouth of the Zambezi. In
the autumn of 1890 Lord Salisbury had resolved to place two gunboats on
the Zambezi, and these vessels, the Herald and the Mosquito, were very ably
put together at Chinde under the superintendence of the Senior Naval Officer,
Commander J. H. Keane, R.N., C.M.G., who managed to launch his gunboats
without undue friction with the Portuguese. All the various sections of my
SIKH SOLDIKRS OK THE CONTINGENT NOW SERVING IN BRITISH CENTRAL AI-K1CA
expedition arrived with delightful punctuality at Chinde, and with the aid of
the two gunboats and the steamers of the African Lakes Company we con-
veyed men, beasts, and goods without accident to Chiromo.
By the Anglo-Portuguese Convention of 1891 we had lost a little territory
to the west of the Shire basin, but had been allotted in exchange by the
Portuguese a portion of the right bank of the River Shire, below the Ruo
Junction. This brought the British Protectorate almost within sight of the
Zambezi. On my journey up the river, therefore, in H.M.S. Herald, I had to
fix the Anglo-Portuguese boundary according to the Convention, and take
over political possession of the Lower Shire District.
We had no sooner arrived at Chiromo in the month of July, 1891, than we
were greeted with the news that the Yao chief, Chikumbu,2 had attacked the
British settlers who had commenced coffee-planting in that country. The
1 Captain Maguire obtained from the Indian Army seventy volunteers, of whom about forty were
Mazbi Sikhs, of the 2jrd and 32nd Pioneers, and the remainder Muhammadan cavalrymen from the
various regiments of Haiderabad Lancers. As nearly all our first batch of horses died of horse sickness
or tsetse fly, the Cavalry became useless and were eventually sent back to India. We subsequently
decided to engage in future nothing but Sikhs for our Indian Contingent.
2 A recent arrival in the Mlanje district, who had developed by degrees into a powerful African
chief.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
99
ill-feeling between Chikumbu and the British was of some years' duration.
Chikumbu was a Yao who had settled amongst the peaceful Xyanja people
of Mlanje, whom he had been gradually subjugating until in 1890 they
appealed to Mr. John Buchanan for protection. The old Nyanja chief,
Chipoka, had died in 1890, and on his death-bed had, with the consent of
all his sub-chiefs and subjects, transferred the sovereign rights of his country
to the Queen, in order to pledge the British Government to the protection of
the indigenous Nyanja people against Yao attacks. Two or three planters
had just begun to settle in the Mlanje district, and although they had paid
H.M.S. " MOSOUITO," A ZAMBEZI GUNBOAT
relatively large sums to Chikumbu he continued to extort larger and larger
payments from them ; and at last, upon their refusing to give any more,
committed various acts of violence, and stopped the natives working for them.
Chikumbu was a very great slave trader and kept up a direcct communication
with the East Coast of Africa at Angoche, whither his caravans of slaves
were generally forwarded. He was allied with Matipwiri and other Yao
slave-trading chiefs.
Accordingly Captain Maguire was dispatched two days after our reaching
Chiromo, with a force of Sikhs to bring Chikumbu to reason. The campaign
was not of long duration, though there were one or two days of stiff fighting.
Chikumbu fled and his brother was taken prisoner. The latter was eventually
released and appointed chief in Chikumbu's stead, upon his giving promises
of good behaviour which have since been kept. After a considerable banish-
ment Chikumbu was recently allowed to return, and lives now as a private
individual.
ioo BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Whilst Captain Maguire was thus engaged I had to spend two months at
Chiromo, settling a great many matters in connection with the Lower Shire
districts. I did not reach Zomba till the month of September 1891, and here
I was joined by Captain Maguire. After a brief rest we were both obliged to
start with a strong expedition for the south end of Lake Nyasa, owing to
troubles of a complex kind which had broken out between Mponda and other
Yao chiefs, and between Mponda and Chikusi, a chief of the Southern Angoni.
We took with us a force of 70 Indian soldiers and 9 Zanzibaris ; also a
7-pounder mountain gun, and marched up the east bank of the Shire.
Although we had come to mediate between the chiefs whose fighting was
temporarily stopping communications on the Shire and were not bent on any
punitive measures except in regard to Makanjira, we were obliged to take
considerable precautions against Mponda, who was uncertain in his attitude
towards the British, and who waged these wars chiefly with the intention
of securing slaves for the Kilwa1 caravans which visited his country. To
avoid coming into collision with him unnecessarily we encamped on the
uninhabited reed wilderness opposite his main town on the east bank of the
Shire, about three miles distant from the south end of Lake Nyasa. Though
some of these Yao chiefs had invoked our intervention at a distance, their
attitude became suspiciously hostile upon our entering their country with an
armed force. Accordingly Captain Maguire deemed it prudent to throw up
fortifications round our camp opposite Mponda's town. These had to be
erected with stealth as Mponda was continually sending to enquire what
we were doing, and we were anxious to avoid any attack on his part until we
were capable of defending ourselves and our stores. Accordingly the defences
of what Captain Maguire called, half in fun, " Fort Johnston," were constructed
during the day-time in separate sections, which apparently had no con-
nection with one another. Mponda was informed, when he came to see
what we were doing, that these pits and sections of embankment were
intended as sleeping shelters for the men. We then took advantage of
a moonlight night, when the moon was half full, to work almost twelve
hours on end, and by the next morning our camp was completely
surrounded by mud and sand breastworks behind a revetement of bamboo.
Before this point was reached, however, an engagement had taken place with
one of our enemies. Makandanji, a chief who dwelt on the south-east corner
of Nyasa, had tied up and imprisoned our envoys. His town was about seven
miles distant from Fort Johnston. Captain Maguire resolved on the true
Napoleonic policy of crushing our enemies singly, and not waiting for them
to come to terms as to a combined movement against us. He suddenly fell
on Makandanji and drove him out of his village, releasing our imprisoned men,
and scattering Makandanji's forces, which were never again able to take the
field against us. Mponda, however, instead of joining Makandanji, seized the
opportunity to capture nearly all the runaways, whom he forthwith marched
off to his own town and sold as slaves to the Swahili caravans waiting there.
Over seventy of the captives he had the insolence to drive through our camp at
Fort Johnston, at a time when Captain Maguire was absent and I was left with
only ten men. As soon as Captain Maguire was back and the little fort was
completed, I summoned Mponda to set all these slaves at liberty. He declined
to do so, and commenced warlike proceedings against us. We had timed our
ultimatum for a day which was followed by full moon, and resolved to attack
1 Kilwa, on the east coast of Africa, was formerly the great distributing depot of the Nyasa slaves.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
101
at night. Accordingly at nine o'clock, on the evening of the iQth of October,
1891, one hour after the expiration of the term given for the restoration of the
slaves, we fired a shell across the river into Mponda's town, perhaps a quarter
of a mile distant. Mponda had no conception of the range of artillery fire,
or the effects of incendiary shells. The return fire of his guns and his muzzle-
loading cannon was harmless, as we were almost beyond their effective range.
A few more shells soon set much of Mponda's town on fire, and he called for
a truce. This was granted, but he only made use of it to withdraw with his
women and ivory to a strong place he possessed in the hills. His fighting men
remained and we renewed the struggle, which we kept up till the early morning,
when we landed on the opposite shore and drove the remainder of the defenders
out of Mponda's town, which we then destroyed. A great many slaves were
found by us in the town, and brought over to our camp. Many of these
wretched people had come from vast distances in the interior of South Central
FORT JOHNSTON IN 1895
Africa. The following day Mponda asked for terms of peace, and peace was
eventually concluded. He then informed us as to the whereabouts of the slave-
trading caravans : Captain Maguire pursued these people, capturing seven of
them and releasing large numbers of slaves. The terms of peace offered to
Mponda were very fair, and he probably rather gained in power by coming to
an understanding with us. For four years afterwards he kept the peace; then
in the belief that we were going to get the worst of it at the hands of Zarafi,
he unwisely went to war once more, with the result that he is now temporarily
exiled from his country.
Makandanji, the first chief with whom we had fought, acknowledged the
supremacy of Zarafi, a powerful chief who dwelt on a very high mountain 20
miles to the east of Fort Johnston. We knew little about Zarafi in those days,
except that he had not long succeeded his mother, a famous woman-chief called
Kabutu. Zarafi, imagining that we should follow the attack on Makandanji by
an advance into his country, sent envoys down to treat with us for peace. \Yc,
therefore, on one day, concluded treaties with Mponda, Zarafi. and Makandanji,
and seemed to have accomplished the pacification of South Xyasa.
102 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Encouraged by this success, \ve then and there resolved to undertake the
chastisement of Makanjira, who had, as already related, committed various
outrages on British subjects, and had recently robbed the Universities Mission
of a boat and killed some of their boatmen. We hired the African Lakes
Company's steamer Doniira, and mounted our /-pounder gun in the bows
Arriving suddenly off Makanjira's in the early morning, we were saluted by
volleys from his fighting men, who were drawn up on the beach, and who had
evidently been expecting our arrival. A shell landed in the middle of this
yelling crowd produced an impression on them which was absolutely novel, and
there was soon not one of the enemy in sight. After setting fire to a portion
of the town with other shells, I effected a landing with a small number of
Sikhs, whilst Captain Maguire kept the enemy at bay by bombarding the town
from the steamer. We managed to land with only one or two casualties, and
the Sikhs carried off two of Makanjira's cannon and set fire to one of his daus.1
The enemy, however, came on us in such strength that we had to retreat
to our boat, and should probably have not escaped with our lives had not
Captain Maguire arrived with reinforcements. He drove the enemy back into
the town, and completed the destruction of the dau.
The next morning Captain Maguire landed in force, and after hard fighting,
in which several of our Sikhs were severely wounded, he captured all Makanjira's
defences. I joined him, and we then drove the enemy out of the huge town,
which we completely destroyed. We also destroyed two or three of their daus.
After waiting a day in vain to see if any person would come from Makanjira
to treat for a peace, we steamed over to the opposite side of the lake, where it
was necessary to come to an understanding with Kazembe, who lived opposite
to Makanjira and was a near relation. Lake Nyasa is at its narrowest opposite
Makanjira's town. Its breadth here is probably not more than fifteen miles.
The favourite ferry across Lake Nyasa, therefore, has generally been between
these two points, the one on the eastern shore held by Makanjira, the other on
the west by Kazembe. Kazembe was a great slave trader, but was not hostile
to the British. He had concluded a treaty with me in 1890, but it was
necessary to warn him that the slave trade could no longer continue. He took
the warning in good part, and promised good behaviour in future. This promise
was not faithfully adhered to, and the result was that Kazembe was exiled from
the Protectorate for a few months, but was subsequently restored to power, and
is now chief in Makanjira's place.
After leaving Kazembe's, we revisited Makanjira's coast in the Domini.
Captain Maguire landed at a town belonging to Makanjira's headman, Saidi
Mwazungu, in the southern part of Makanjira's country, for the purpose of
acquiring information. The people had not evinced unfriendliness as we
approached, and Captain Maguire landed under a flag of truce. He was
received by an Arab (who was said to have been a native of Aden) with a
show of courtesy, but no sooner had he reached the veranda of the Arab's
house than he was suddenly fired on by the Arab himself, who by some
marvellous accident missed him, though only two or three yards distant.
Captain Maguire had landed with only six men ; but, hearing the shot, I
immediately dispatched reinforcements to his assistance, and the town was
soon taken and destroyed. The two remaining daus of Makanjira, in search
1 A "dau" is an Arab sailing vessel, sometimes of considerable size. Spelt phonetically it should
be dan, but the British, with their extraordinary racial perversity in matters of spelling, prefer without
rhyme or reason to spell it "dhow."
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
103
of which Captain Maguire had landed, were either not there or had escaped
before our coming.
We now returned to Zomba, leaving a garrison behind at Fort Johnston. We
had no sooner reached Zomba than we heard of trouble from Kawinga, a power-
ful Yao chief who lived on a hill which was at the north-eastern extremity of
the Zomba range. It was deemed advisable to dispatch an expedition against
Kawinga, and this was accompanied by Mr. John Buchanan, c'.M.ci., who had
become a Vice-Consul in the service of the Protectorate. Kawinga's fortress
proved however to be a much harder nut to crack than we had expected. A
gallant attempt was made by Captain
Maguire and Mr. Buchanan to scale the
hill in face of a heavy fire. Captain
Maguire was wounded in the chest,
several of our men were killed or
wounded, and the force was partially
repulsed, though it had captured nearly
all Kawinga's positions except the
highest, and had so far scared him that
he treated for peace and obtained it.
After the conclusion of peace with
Kawinga, Captain Maguire considered
it necessary to return to Fort Johnston,
to complete the building at that place,
and relieve the garrison. He was to be
back at Zomba to spend Christmas with
me, but I was doomed never to see him
again.
Upon reaching Fort Johnston he
had received information as to the
locality where Makanjira's two daus
were hidden. Without waiting to con-
sult me, therefore, he started in the
Doinira, with a small force of Indian
soldiers. He found the daus — in a little
cove close to where Fort Maguire is
now situated, and somewhat to the north of Makanjira's main town. Ik-
landed with a small force of about 28 men, and was proceeding to destroy
and incapacitate the daus, when Makanjira, with about 2,000 men, attacked
him. He retreated to the beach.
Unfortunately a storm had arisen which had wrenched his boat from her
moorings, and had dashed her on to the rocks. The Domira in endeavouring
to approach as near as possible in order to come to his assistance, was blown on
to a sand-bank, and stuck fast within a short distance of the shore. When
he had lost three of his men Captain Maguire told the others to enter the
water and make for the Domini. After seeing them off, and with a few faithful
Sikhs repulsing with the bayonet the onslaught of the enemy, he turned to the
water himself, but just as he was nearing the steamer a bullet apparently struck
him in the back of the head and he sank. Just about this time the master
of the Domira, Mr. Keiller, was wounded, and shortly after Mr. Urquhart,
the second engineer, was severely wounded. All the Indian soldiers except the
three who had been killed reached the steamer safely, and preparations were at
CAPTAIN CECIL MO.VK ;t >M KK V MACl.'IRK
DIED DECEMBER 15. ibgi
104 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
once made to defend the Domini from the attack of Makanjira's men, who were
at very close range. After two or three days' incessant fighting, Makanjira's
people put up a flag of truce. His envoys were received on board and offered,
in return for a certain ransom (which was paid), to cease fighting and to assist in
moving the Dornira off the sand-bank, and to give up the bodies of Captain
Maguire and the dead sepoys. The negotiations were chiefly conducted by Dr.
Boyce1 and Mr. McEwan,'2 in order that the two wounded Europeans might not
be shown to the enemy. After peace had, seemingly, been concluded with
Makanjira's envoys, the latter said that no effect could be given to the provisions
of this agreement until the white men had visited Makanjira on the shore, and
as an extra inducement for them to come they promised Dr. Boyce that he
should receive for burial the body of Captain Maguire. Owing to the two
wounded officers being concealed in the cabin below, it appears that Makanjira's
envoys imagined Dr. Boyce and Mr. McEwan were the only white men on the
steamer. They therefore made a point of insisting they should both come to
see Makanjira.
No idea of treachery seems to have entered the minds of the Europeans, who
did not even think of insisting on Makanjira's leaving hostages on board, whilst
they went on shore. They therefore started for the beach with only a few
unarmed attendants. One of these was Captain Maguire's orderly, an Indian
Muhammadan soldier. Soon after reaching the beach an Arab led this orderly
away from the rest of the party, offering to show him Captain Maguire's body.
So far as is known, after taking the orderly for a roundabout walk he urged him
strongly to return to the boat, which the man did.3 Dr. Boyce and his party
were told that Makanjira was just a short distance from the shore, in the bush,
awaiting them. They wrere thus led on to a distance of perhaps two miles from
the lake shore ; then they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a number
of Makanjira's men, at the head of whom was Saidi Mwazungu, a man half
Arab and half Yao. Saidi Mwazungu suddenly called out, " Makanjira has
ordered the white men to be killed." His men then turned their guns on
the party. Mr. McEwan was shot repeatedly. Dr. Boyce was shot several
times, but did not die. They therefore threw him down and cut his head
off. The Swahili servants who had accompanied this party were not killed, but
secured and subsequently sold as slaves.4 The Atonga steamer-boys were
killed, or left for dead. One of these Atonga, however, whom the Arabs
believed themselves to have killed, managed in spite of his terrible wounds to-
crawl by degrees to the lake shore, where he shouted for help. He was got on
board the steamer, and gave them an account of what had happened. Mean-
time the survivors in the steamer heard the Yao shouting on the shore that all
the white men were killed, and that now was the time to attack the steamer.
The Sikhs behaved splendidly, but the hero at this crisis was Mr. Urquhart, the
wounded engineer, who by dint of almost superhuman efforts, and by working
at the dead of night, managed to get the steamer afloat. After a five days'
detention — five days without sleep, in constant and incessant danger, and almost
1 Dr. Boyce was a Par»i Doctor of Medicine, who had been engaged by me at Zanzibar as Surgeon
to the Indian contingent.
2 The first engineer of the Dotnira.
:! The orderly, with the horror of what had taken place during these few days, subsequently went out of
his mind, and was never able to give a coherent account of the circumstances, but it is believed that the
Arab did not wish a fellow Muhammadan to be killed, and therefore induced the orderly to return to
the steamer.
4 After the most extraordinary adventures they succeeded in reaching the coast.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 105
without food — the steamer floated off the sand-bank into deep water. The
7-pounder gun was silently got ready by the Sikhs, and before the vessel
steamed away, shells were fired in rapid succession into howling crowds of
Makanjira's men, who were dancing round camp fires, confident that a few more
hours would see the Domira in their possession.
The death of Captain Maguire took place on the I5th December, 1891.
No news of it reached me until Christmas Eve, just at the time when I was
expecting him to arrive for Christmas day. I left at once for Blantyre, which
I reached on the evening of Christmas day, and there conferred with Mr. John
Buchanan and Mr. Fotheringham, the manager of the African Lakes Company.
The latter at once proffered his co-operation in meeting the difficult situation
on Lake Nyasa. We both started for the Upper Shire by different routes, and
reached Fort Johnston at the end of December. Here we found that the chief
Msamara who lived a little below Mponda on the west bank of the Shire, had
turned against us and with Zarafi had sent a force of men to attack Fort
Johnston, and although nothing more had come of the attack but a few wild
shots, he had nevertheless been raiding all round the Fort.
The bad news had brought volunteers hurrying up from the south. Amongst
them came Mr. J. G. King, from Port Herald ; Dr. A. Blair Watson ; the late
Mr. Gilbert Stevenson ; and, a little later on, Commander J. H. Keane, R.N.1
Fortunately Mponda had remained loyal, and although for a few days the Fort
and its garrison of wounded and exhausted men lay at his mercy, he had not
only been neutral but had assisted to defend the place against Zarafi's attacks.
My arrival soon restored the morale of the Sikhs, who were literally in tears at
the death of their commander, but the Muhammadan Indian soldiers had not
rallied from the feeling of discouragement caused by this disaster. Soon after-
wards they had, in fact, to be sent back to India, though there were men
amongst them who had strikingly distinguished themselves. It must be
remembered, however, that they were all cavalry men, and not used to fighting
on foot, or on board a ship, and all things considered behaved as well as might
be expected. The Sikhs, however, throughout all this crisis, never showed their
sterling worth more effectually.
Another attack on Makanjira was impossible until we had got gunboats on
the lake. So I decided to restore our prestige by subduing those enemies who
were nearer at hand and more vulnerable, to wit, Msamara and Zarafi. The
chief Msamara was captured and imprisoned in the fort, together with some
of his headmen, whilst an enquiry was instituted into his culpability for the
recent raids. I regret to say that whilst in prison he poisoned himself but
it was fortunately done with the knowledge and connivance of his followers and
consequently no slur was cast on the Administration for his death, his headmen
themselves asserting that their chief had committed suicide because he believed
he was going to be hanged, an eventuality, however, of which there was little
probability. The \var against Zarafi was a more difficult matter. I was able
with the help of the volunteer officers and the Sikhs to capture all Zarafi's
villages in the plains with relatively little loss of men ; but to attack Zarafi
in the hills was another matter. While on our way thither, all Mponda's men
who were acting as our porters ran away, and we were therefore compelled to
retreat to Fort Johnston. Under the circumstances the flight of our porters was
the best thing that could have happened to us, since we were embarked on an
enterprise far beyond our strength, although we did not know' it at that time;
1 Afterwards made C.M.f ..
106 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
for another march would have brought us to the base of Zarafi's hill, where we
should probably have met with as serious a disaster as subsequently happened
to another expedition.
During all this crisis we were much helped by the Angoni, under Chifisi,
who dwelt at the back of Mponda's country. These men came down in
hundreds to assist us in fighting Zarafi. Unfortunately the Angoni are not
as brave as they look, and we subsequently found they were very broken reeds
to depend on in hard fighting. Zarafi had, nevertheless, suffered so much at
our hands by the loss of all his villages in the plains that he ceased his raids,
and commenced negotiations for peace. No doubt these negotiations were only
intended to gain time, but I welcomed them as a valuable respite, and did not
intend to take any further steps against Zarafi until I could receive reinforce-
ments of officers and men. By the capture of Zarafi's low-lying towns I had
prevented for some time to come any attempts on his part to obstruct the
navigation of the Shire ; this end was still further attained by the imprisonment
of the chief Msamara who subsequently committed suicide at Fort Johnston.
I again returned to Zomba, determined to apply myself now to the con-
sideration of our financial position, for since my arrival in British Central Africa
in July, 1891, I had not had a spare day in which to turn to accounts. Up till
this time it must be remembered that I had to be my own secretary and
accountant, and the pressure of office work was almost more than I could
stand. Captain Sclater was busily employed in making roads, and this work
was so necessary I did not like to call him off it for other purposes ; Mr. Sharpe
was not yet back from leave of absence in England.
I had just begun to settle down once more to office work at Zomba when
another message arrived with disastrous news. On the 24th February, 1892,
I received a note from Dr. Watson informing me that after my departure a
large force of Angoni had come down and placed their services at the disposal
of Mr. J. G. King, whom I had left in charge of Fort Johnston as chief of that
station , and Mr. King had resolved, then and there, to attack Zarafi, who had
once more become troublesome; that the expedition had resulted in a very
serious repulse at the foot of Zarafi's hill, in which but for the dogged bravery
of a Naval Petty Officer, Mr. Henry Inge, lent by the river gunboats, nearly the
whole of the expedition must have been annihilated. He went on to relate
that at the beginning of the engagement Mr. King had been shot through the
lungs, and that he himself (Dr. Watson) had been wounded in the fight ; that
some six Indian soldiers had been killed and several Svvahilis ; that another
fourteen Indian soldiers were missing;1 and that the /-pounder gun which
Mr. Inge used till the ammunition was exhausted, to distract the enemy from
following the defeated expedition, had had to be abandoned in the bush.
Fortunately at this juncture Commander Keane, R.N., was staying with me,
having only quitted Fort Johnston a short time before. On my invitation he
returned there and restored the situation as well as possible.
I am glad to say that both Mr. King and Dr. Watson recovered from their
wounds. The recovery of the former was quite extraordinary as he was
practically shot through the lungs.2 Our ultimate losses were found to have
consisted of the y-pounder gun, a few rifles and cases of ammunition ; and six
1 These subsequently reached Fort Johnston by devious routes, one after more than thirteen clays in
the bush with nothing but grass, leaves, and roots to eat.
• For years afterwards lie was Vice-Consul at Chinde ; but to my deep regret died at that place
on November 30, 1896.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
107
Indian sepoys and three Zanzibar! soldiers killed. This time may be taken as
the nadir of our fortunes. The slave- trading chiefs at Chiradzulu began to
give trouble by committing highway robberies on the roads between Zomba
and Blantyre and Blantyre and Matope. The Ndirande l people joined them in
these depredations, and Matipwiri, a very powerful Yao chief who dwelt near
the Portuguese border at the back of the Mlanje Mountain, together with
Kawinga, sent out raiding parties from time to time to rob our carriers and to
carry off slaves. Makanjira having received an enormous accession of strength
and prestige from the death of Captain Maguire, crossed the lake to the opposite
peninsula of the Rifu, and with the aid of the disaffected party there drove
Kazembe from power as punishment for his alliance with the English.
Kazembe fled to the south. Thus both sides of this narrow ferry were in the
hands of the enemies of the English. Makanjira's next attempts were directed
against Jumbe, and he began a war with him, which eventually terminated in the
following year by Jumbe's loss of all his territory except his capital town.
Fortunately the Arabs at the north end were not ready to recommence the
war ; and Mponda, who held the key of the situation at the south end of Lake
N'yasa, remained faithful to us. Then Mr. Sharpe returned from leave of
absence in England, and the terrible pressure of the official work on my
shoulders was lightened. Moreover I received my first accountant in the
person of Mr. William Wheeler,
who assisted me in getting our
finances into order.
Captain Sclater had been of
great assistance to me through
this trying time, and had made
a rapid journey to the coast to
obtain things that were wanted,
and to engage some more men.
Amongst his recruits was Mr.
Wheeler, who had come to us
from a position of accountant in
the service of the Union Steam-
ship Company.
But in March, 1892, after the
disaster at Zarafi's, the fortunes of
the young Administration seemed
certainly at their lowest ebb ; and
what distressed me much more at
this period than our wars with the
Yao, or any trouble that could
be given by the black men, was
the attitude of the white settlers
and some of the missionaries. It cannot be said that the Administration in its
earlier days was universally popular amongst the Europeans, especially those
who dwelt in the Shire province. The proclamation of the British Protectorate
had been followed by a wholesale grabbing of land; or, where it is not fair
to describe the acquisition of land as "grabbing," at any rate huge tracts
had been bought for disproportionate amounts from the natives, and there were
1 NMirande is a mountain overlooking Ulantyre.
- Now the chief accountant of the British Central Africa Administrate n.
I
MR. \\II.1. 1AM \\I1KKLER
io8 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
many claims that overlapped and required adjustment. The settlers knew that
I was entrusted with the task of enquiring into and settling their claims, and
many of them anticipated with some accuracy that their claims would not be
sanctioned, either wholly or even at all. They were therefore disposed to
weaken my position as much as they could by cavilling at all my acts, and
making all the capital they could out of my misfortunes. In regard to a
certain Missionary Society in the Shire Highlands, its hostile attitude was
of more complex origin. It had acquired, and acquired by good means, a very
strong influence over the natives. Its representatives were men of great
natural ability who, whether conscious of it or not, enjoyed to the full the
power of governing. Still they had not been appointed to administer this
country by the Government, and it was impossible to allow them to take
the law into their own hands as they were in the habit of doing, by holding
informal courts and administering justice. Loth as I was to come into conflict
with any Missionary Society — as I have always been a sincere admirer of the
results of mission work — I found myself inevitably at issue with certain men
at Blantyre and elsewhere. It is not worth while describing the ways in which
through misrepresentation in the Press, letters to the Foreign Office, and strong
local opposition my life and the lives of my subordinates were made unbearable :
for I suppose the same conflict has occurred with the commencement of all
attempts to found an Administration among headstrong, sturdy pioneers. I
merely refer to these foolish dead-and-forgotten quarrels because in a small way
they enter into the woof of our history at this period, for I cannot too strongly
assert, as a fact perhaps not sufficiently appreciated, that during my seventeen
years' acquaintance with Africa the difficulties raised up against my work by
Europeans have infinitely exceeded the trouble given me by negroes or Arabs.
Captain Charles Edward Johnson, of the 36th Sikhs, arrived in the month
of June to take the place of the late Captain Maguire. He soon brought order
into our disorganised forces, and there accompanied him a small detachment of
Sikhs which proved a very useful reinforcement. Commander Keane was
released by the arrival of Captain Johnson and received a C.M.G. in reward
for his services. Before Captain Johnson could get an expedition ready I was
obliged to dispatch a small force under Mr. Sharpe and Captain Sclater against
the highway robbers of Mt. Chiradzulu.1
At the beginning of July, 1892, we received a visit from Admiral Nicholson,
who was commanding on the Cape Station. Being absent at Fort Johnston,
I dispatched Mr. Sharpe to meet the Admiral at Chiromo, whilst I journeyed
to Blantyre. As regards bad news, I had one hour after I reached Blantyre
which I shall always remember as a kind of Job's experience. Within that
one hour arrived the following pieces of information. First came a messenger
to say that a raid had been made by the Yao on the Blantyre-Zomba road, a
caravan attacked and a quantity of goods stolen. Then came another message
from Katunga, on the Shire, with the news that Mr. Sharpe's boat, on his way
down to Chiromo, had been capsized by a hippopotamus, and that Mr. Sharpe
and all his companions were drowned.2 Lastly came the post with the news
1 Chiradzulu is a very fine picturesque mountain about 5,500 ft. in height, midway between Zomba and
Blantyre. The Yao settled on this mountain since the Yao raids of 1861-2 and -3 were very troublesome
to the first missionaries and planters, and gave a great deal of annoyance in the early days of the Adminis-
tration. They were thoroughgoing slave-raiders, and were not finally subdued until the winter of 1893.
- Two or three of Mr. Sharpe's men were drowned, but he fortunately succeeded in swimming
ashore where he was eventually picked up by a native canoe. He lost, however, everything he had with
him, including some valuable guns.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
109
that the New Oriental Bank, in which were invested a good proportion of our
funds, had failed.1 Following close on this tale of disasters came Admiral
Nicholson, fortunately accompanied by Mr. Sharpe, the news of whose
untimely death had fairly taken all the heart out of me. Probably Admiral
Nicholson has never known to this day why I received him with so much
emotion.
In May, 1892, Mr. John L. Nicoll had returned from leave of absence in
England, and had entered the service of the British Central Africa Administra-
tion. He was appointed collector for the South Nyasa district, to reside at
MR. NICOLI.'S HOUSK AT FORT JOHNSTON
Fort Johnston. In nearly three years' residence he effected a remarkable
improvement in affairs on the Upper Shire and at the south end of the
lake. Zarafi's raids were checked, the river was policed and rendered safe,
and Mponda was kept in order. In the summer of this same year two
important expeditions arrived in the country. One was the dispatch from
England of three gunboats in sections for Lake Nyasa and the Upper Shire.
These boats had been obtained by the initiative of Lord Salisbury, when
the news first arrived of the disasters on the lake, consequent on the death
of Captain Cecil Maguire. The Admiralty undertook the charge of furnishing
these gunboats, and they were sent out under the charge of Lieutenant
(now Commander) Hope Robertson, R.N.- The other expedition was that
1 The Bank subsequently paid us in full, though not for about a year afterwards.
- For his services in conveying these gunboats to Lake Nyasa. bringing about their rapid and success-
ful construction, and afterwards commanding them on Lake Nyasa 'in 'various campaigns, Lieutenant
Robertson was promoted, and was made a C. M.<i.
I 10
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
under Major von Wissmann, who at the head of a large expedition was con-
veying a steamer (named after himself) to Lake Nyasa, on behalf of the
German Anti-Slavery Society.
In the middle of 1892 our Customs Regulations received definite form.
Mr. H. A. Hillier, who had joined the Administration in 1891, was made
principal Customs Officer at Chiromo, and the efficiency of our Customs
service owes much to his organization. In 1896 he was made Director-General
of Customs. In 1892 also the first steps were taken to institute a Hut tax.
I he question of the taxation of the natives was in its initial stages a
o
TREES PLANTED KV MR. MCOl.I, AT KORT JOHNSTON (TWO YEARS' CROWTH)
difficult one to settle. In taking over the Lower Shire district on the west
bank of the Shire from the Portuguese in the middle of 1891, the natives
who had been accustomed to pay taxes to the Portuguese had asked me
to assess their taxes, if possible, at a lower rate. On enquiry I ascertained
that they had paid a capitation tax of something like half-a-crown a head
per annum, which tax was levied indifferently on men, women, and children.
The chiefs of the Lower Shire natives, however, were of opinion that the}'
would prefer a Hut to a Poll tax. Estimating the average number of hut
occupants at three, their former Poll tax would have resulted in each
household paying about js. 6d. per annum. I therefore proposed to
compromise the matter by fixing the annual Hut tax at 6s. per annum
and abolishing the Capitation Dues. The natives seemed well satisfied with
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
1 1 1
this proposal. Gradually, however, it became obvious that if the natives of the
Lower Shire district were to pay taxes, the other natives of such portions
of the Protectorate as we were obliged to administer at our own cost, should
do the same. For a year I talked this over with the leading chiefs of the Shire
province (the only portion of the Protectorate we were then prepared to
administer), and got most of them to agree to the principle that the natives
of the Protectorate should contribute, to a reasonable extent, towards the
revenue. The idea of taxing the natives, however, was strongly opposed by
the missionaries, and also by many of the traders and planters, who believed
it would cause discontent and would make native labour dearer. I still held
to my view, nevertheless, that those natives of British Central Africa who
THE NVASA CTNMoATS IN NKATA MAY, \\KST NYASA
were unable to protect themselves from the incursions of slave raiders, or
who by their own misconduct compelled the intervention of the Administration
for the maintenance of law and order, should contribute as far as their means
allowed towards the revenue of the Protectorate, for it was not to be supposed
that the British taxpayer, or the British South Africa Company, could continue
indefinitely finding subsidies for the support of the Protectorate ; that the
Protectorate must justify its existence by eventually supporting itself on its
locally raised revenue. At a meeting with some of the leading missionaries
and planters at Blantyrc, in the winter of 1892, I agreed to propose to the
Secretary of State that the Hut tax should be reduced to $s. per annum, and
eventually it was fixed in the Queen's Regulations at that sum.
The only other taxation incumbent on the natives was the taking out
of a gun license, for which the same sum was charged as in the case of
Europeans and foreigners, namely, £i for five years, or in the case of the
natives, 4^. per annum. The payment of the Hut tax was at first confined
ii2 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
to certain portions of the Shire province. Gradually it was enforced through-
out the Shire province. At the present time it is enforced throughout
all the Protectorate with the exception of that portion of the West Nyasa
district which is inhabited by the northern Angoni, who at present decline
to pay taxes to the Administration but on the other hand remain quiet
and free from civil war, and therefore do not compel us to go to the expense of
administering their country. Eventually, no doubt, by friendly arrangement the
Hut tax will be enforced even here. In all other parts of the Protectorate it has
never been put in force without a proper arrangement being come to with the
native chiefs, except in such districts as where the chiefs Yao or Arabs—
have gone to war with us. Then as one of the conditions of peace or one of
the results of conquest, the Hut tax has been eventually enforced. The
I-ARK ROAD, CHIko.MO
revenue derived from this source in 1893 was about £1,639. In the financial
year ended March 3ist, 1896, it amounted to £4,695 in value.
In the early autumn of 1892 I commenced the land settlement, and by
degrees every estate or land claim between the Lower Shire district and Lakes
Tanganyika and Mweru and the Upper Luapula was visited and enquired into
by Mr. Alfred Sharpe, Captain Sclater or myself. Admissible claims were
divided into two kinds : claims to mineral rights, and claims to land with or
without mineral rights.1 In the case of treaties conferring mining rights
the investigation was relatively simple. The chief or chiefs alleged to be
the grantors of such concessions were examined and if they admitted making
the grant, and it could be shown that they had received fair value for the same!
the mining concessions were confirmed. In regard to land, long occupation'
and improvements were regarded as almost the best titles. These qualifications,
however, applied to very few estates in British Central Africa, as in most cases
1 Inadmissible claims were those which conferred sovereign rights or granted any monopoly of trade
inconsistent with the various treaties with Foreign Powers to vrtiich Great Britain wa-'n parly.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 113
the settlers had only arrived after the proclamation of the Protectorate. Only
in cases of very lengthy occupation and much cultivation or building were
claims sanctioned which were unsupported by properly executed documents.
Even when land had been purchased, and the sale on the part of the chief was
not repudiated, and the deed of sale was authentic, the concessionnaire was
required to show what consideration had been paid, and if the grantor was not
considered to have received fair value for his land the grantee had either to
supplement his first payment by another, or the area of his estate was reduced
to an extent fairly compatible with the sum paid. As land was of very little
value before the establishment of the Administration, and as undoubtedly the
settlers had conferred great benefits on the country by clearing and planting,
land was not rated at a high value in these settlements. Threepence an acre
was the maximum, and this only in exceptionally favoured districts like Allanje
and Blantyre. Sometimes the value of the land was computed at as low as a
halfpenny an acre. Except on very small estates the existing native villages
and plantations were exempted from all these purchases, and the natives were
informed that the sale of the surrounding land did not include the alienation of
their homes and plantations. The fact is, that at the time the chiefs sold land
to the Europeans they were very heedless of the results. All they desired was
the immediate possession of the trade goods or money given in payment. The
tenure of the land in reality was tribal ; that is to say theoretically the chief
had no right to alienate the land, but he had assumed such right and his
assumption was tacitly accepted by his people. It was, however, highly
necessary to secure these people from the results of their chief's heedlessness, in
many cases, as they were apt to become the serfs of the white man when he
began to appear as their over-landlord. One of the results of the land settlement,
therefore, was to completely free the natives from any dependency on the white
settler, by restoring to them the inalienable occupancy of their villages and
plantations. Moreover, in sanctioning the various concessions in the name
of the Government we reserved to the Crown the right to make roads, railways,
or canals over anybody's property without compensation ; the control of the
water supply ; and where mining rights were included in the concession, a
royalty on the produce of the mines. In each deed (the deeds were styled
" Certificates of Claim ") the boundaries of the property were set forth with
sedulous accuracy, and it was provided that all these deeds should be even-
tually supplemented by an authoritative survey made by a Government surveyor,
a process which is fast being completed. On the whole the settlement was well
accepted by the Europeans, while it gave distinct satisfaction to the natives, and
was approved without modification by Her Majesty's Government. Throughout
the whole settlement I believe I am right in saying that only one dispute
regarding boundaries was brought into Court and not settled amicably and
informally in my office. When all these claims had been arranged I concluded,
on behalf of the Crown, treaties with all the chiefs of the Protectorate, securing
Crown control over the remainder of the land, which the natives were hence-
forth unable to alienate without the sanction of the Commissioner. In some
cases large sums of money were spent by the Government in buying up the
waste land from the natives where it was deemed advisable that a complete
control over its disposal should be exercised. Except over a small area of land
which is absolutely Crown property, a percentage on the selling price or
the rent is paid to the native chief when portions of the Crown lands are
let or sold.
ii4 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
In the same year, 1892, the foundation of our Courts of Justice was laid.
At my recommendation a number of officials were given warrants as magis-
trates by the Secretary of State, and were thus enabled to administer justice
to Europeans and other foreigners under the "Africa Orders in Council of 1889
and 1893." It was theoretically supposed that justice to natives only was ad-
ministered by native chiefs, but in reality the native courts are practically held
by British magistrates in the name of the local chief or as his representative ;
for over most of the districts the native chiefs have surrendered to us by
treaty their justiciary rights. Still, in some districts, native chiefs are
encouraged to settle all minor cases themselves, and the natives are not
allowed to go to the European magistrate except where the native chief cannot
be relied on for fairness. No native chief or British magistrate, however, is
THE KATUNGA ROAD IN I'KK-ADMIMSTRATION PAYS
allowed to carry out a death sentence on a native without first referring the
case to the Commissioner for consideration, and obtaining his sanction to the
verdict and sentence.
As far back as 1891 we had commenced road-making. Captain Sclatcr
had begun to clear a road from Chiromo to Zoa, with the intention of ultimately
carrying on this road to Mlanje in one direcion, and to Blantyre and Zomba in
another. It was found, however, to be of more urgent need to the community
that the road between Katunga and Blantyre should be made passable for
waggons. Consequently Captain Sclater undertook the reconstruction of the
Katunga road,2 which proved to be a very lengthy and expensive business
and is not yet finally completed.
In the summer of 1892 Captain Stairs' expedition returned from Katanga,
1 That of 1889 only applied to British and British protected subjects ; that of 1893 kr;lve us> in virtue
o! treaties concluded, jurisdiction over all subjects of i'oreign States within the limits of 'the IV
-It had been originally made by the Lakes Company, but it was little more than a rough track,
Without bridges, and almost impassable for waggons.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 115
through Xyasaland ; but Captain Stairs, who had been very ill with black-water
fever, died at Chinde before he could embark on the ocean steamer.
1893 dawned on us with somewhat brighter prospects. I had spent a very
pleasant Christmas at Blantyre, and had been cheered by the safe return of Mr.
Sharpe from an extensive journey through the Tanganyika, Mweru, and Upper
Luapula districts, where he had added to our geographical discoveries, and had
settled many outstanding difficulties with Arabs and native chiefs. M. Lionel
Decle arrived at the beginning of 1893 on a scientific mission for the French
Government. In the course of this mission he had already travelled over
South Africa from the Cape to Xyasaland. He eventually continued his journey
CAPTAIN SCI.ATER'S ROAD TO KATL.MIA i\ PROCESS OF MAKING
through British Central Africa to the south end of Tanganyika, and thence to
Uganda and the east coast of Africa.
In January, 1893, came Mr. J. F. Cunningham to be my private secretary.1
In the month of February, 1893, however, we found ourselves face to face
with a serious outbreak on the Upper Shire, an outbreak of slave traders
that had long been threatened. The upper portion of the Shire was ruled over
by a chief named Liwonde, who was a relation of Kawinga's. - Liwonde had
1 In 1894 he became Secretary to the British Central Africa Administration. Mr. Cunningham,
besides organising our printing establishment and Ca/ette, was— among many other accomplishment
great road-maker. He constructed the road between Blantyre and Zomba as a " holiday task " while I
was absent in South Africa in the spring of 1893 To praise one's private secretary is scarcely le>s-
difficult than to praise oneself; such commendation must be private. Still I should like to acknowledge
here how much I owe to this gentleman's unflagging industry and zealous co-operation during the period
between 1893 and the present day.
2 Kawinga, to whom constant allusion will be made in the pages of this History, was a powerful Yao
chief of the Machinga clan, who had settled on Chikala Mountain, near the north-west end of Lake
Chiloa. at the end of the fifties or beginning of the sixties. He is referred to by Livingstone in his
Last Journeys as Kabinga. The chief Liwonde was his relation, and had, with some Yao followers,
acquired the sovereignty of the I'pper Shire about thirty year-
n6
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
received me well in 1889, ar>d nad made a treaty with me ; but he was incurably
addicted to the slave trade. An old Arab, named Abu Bakr (a white Arab of
Maskat), lived with Liwonde, and acted as go-between for the supply of slaves
to the Swahili caravans. At the beginning of 1893 one of these caravans had
kidnapped and carried off some boys at Zomba who worked in Mr. Buchanan's
plantations. Captain C. E. Johnson, who happened to be staying at Zomba,
hurried off in pursuit of the caravan, accompanied by Mr. George Hoare
(formerly a N.C.O. in the
Royal Engineers) and a few
Makua police. They came up
with the caravan in Liwonde's
country, and succeeded in re-
leasing the Zomba boys, to-
gether with a large number of
other slaves, but the slave
traders managed to elude them.
On the return of the rescue
party to the banks of the
Shire, in Liwonde's country,
they were attacked by Li-
wonde's men. One of the
Makua police was killed, and
others were badly wounded,
while Mr. Hoare had to swim
for his life down the river till
he was out of the range of
the enemy's guns. Fortunately
the rescued slaves were not
recaptured. The whole river
now was up in arms wherever
there were Yao. A boat of
the African Lakes Company
was coming down in charge
of some Atonga. It was seized
by Liwonde's men, and one of
the Atonga had his throat cut in Liwonde's presence. Others, though
wounded, managed to escape. Finally, the Doinira unfortunately chose this
moment to make one of her rare periodical trips down the Upper Shire to
Matope, and stuck on a sandbank opposite to one of Liwonde's towns. When
we heard the news at Zomba, we scraped together all the forces we could
collect, but these only consisted of Makua police and Atonga labourers. With
these men Captain Johnson and I started for the Upper Shire. At Mpimbi
we were joined by Messrs. Sharpe, Gilbert Stevenson, and Crawshay. \\ e
fought our way up the river to the place where the Doinira was stranded. Here
we were over three days in a very disagreeable position. Our camp was com-
manded by the higher ground in the vicinity, from which the natives continually
fired into us. They also kept up a steady fire on the Doinira, and Mr. Steven-
son, in going on board that steamer, was gravely, almost mortally, wounded. l
1 He was shot through the body just in front of the kidneys, but made a marvellous recover)-, and
subsequently did excellent service in the Protectorate in the Mlanje district. When out shooting game in
September, 1896, his gun went off accidentally and killed him.
MR. J. F. CUNNINGHAM
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 117
We were getting anxious as to our position, owing to the possible exhaustion of
our ammunition and the fact that the enemy had reoccupied the banks of the
Shire behind us, thus cutting us off from overland communication with the
Shire Highlands. The boats which attempted to go up or down the Shire
were fired at, and several boatmen and soldiers were wounded. Mr. Alfred
Sharpe was the first to relieve the acute crisis of our position by stealing out
with a few Atonga from the stockade, and lying in ambush along one of the
paths which the enemy used for advancing in our direction. In this way he
was able to pick off with his rifle several of Liwonde's most noted warriors and
leaders, and this considerably damped the enemy's ardour.1
On the third day of our beleaguered state there arrived very welcome
reinforcements in the shape of Herr von Eltz (who was in charge of Major
von Wissmann's expedition, intended to convey a steamer to Lake Nyasa),
a German non-commissioned officer, a Hotchkiss gun, and about twenty
Sudanese soldiers. These really relieved us from any peril, and enabled
those who had been three days in this camp without sleep or a proper
meal, to get both whilst the new arrivals kept watch. On the following clay
Lieut. Commander Carr, who commanded H.M.S. Mosquito on the Zambezi,
arrived with Dr. Harper and about twenty blue-jackets.
We had succeeded in getting the Domini off the sand-bank, she had
gone to Matope, and returned with Mr. Sharpe and further reinforcements.
We were now, therefore, able to advance up the river and capture Liwonde's
town which was done without much serious fighting; the brunt of the struggle
falling to Herr von Eltz and his Sudanese, and Mr. F. J. Whicker.'2 Liwonde's
town was on an island and our forces advanced on both banks of the river.
We managed to wade across one branch of the Shire to the island which the
enemy had already abandoned on our near approach.
Lieut. Carr and the blue-jackets assisted us in building two forts and then
returned to the lower river, one or two blue-jackets remaining behind for a few
weeks to assist us in garrisoning the forts. Commander Robertson and myself
passed on up the river to the limits of Liwonde's country in the Doniira, but
had no fighting of any serious character. Liwonde fled and we did not succeed
in capturing him for several years, during which he occasionally gave us trouble/5
The pacification of the country was ably effected by Mr. F. J. Whicker, under
whose superintendence the Upper Shire has become one of the most prosperous
districts in the Protectorate, with an abundant and contented population.
In March, 1893, Captain Sclater was obliged to return to England on
account of his health and the expiration of the time for which he was seconded.
In April I started for South Africa to confer with Mr. Rhodes and the secretary
of the South Africa Company, in regard to the contributions to be furnished
by that Company towards the adminstration of British Central Africa.
On my way down the river I met Lieut, (now Lieut.- Colonel) Edwards, who
had arrived from India with a large reinforcement of Sikhs. For two years
past the armed forces in the Protectorate had consisted of one English officer,
sixty to seventy Indian Sepoys, and about fifty Zanzibaris and Makua (the
latter being natives of Mozambique). The Indian soldiers, again, included over
forty Mazbi Sikhs and about twenty Indian Muhammadan cavalrymen. The
term for which these men were allowed to volunteer from the Indian Army
1 An important settlement was afterwards founded here and called " Fort Sharpe."
" Subsequently collector for the Upper Shire district.
'•'' Fie is however now exiled to Port Herald on the Lower Shire.
n8
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
'
would expire in the summer of 1893, and I had therefore made arrangements
with the Indian Government for their relief, but had asked on this occasion, at
the suggestion of Captain Johnson, that when the second Indian contingent
was sent out, all the new Indian soldiers should be Jat Sikhs and not Mazbis.1
Lieut. Edwards brought with him a hundred Sikhs on this occasion. A few
months after their arrival the time expired of the Mazbi Sikhs, and the few
Indian cavalrymen that remained were sent back to India.
Later on in the year another hundred Sikhs arrived, under
the command of Lieut, (now Captain) W. H. Manning,
thus bringing up the full strength of our Indian contingent
to 200 men, which maximum it has not since exceeded.
In regard to black troops we had first of all tried natives of
Zanzibar, but these men had not proved very satisfactory.
They were nearly as expensive as the Sikhs, they were not
- ^ all of them very brave or reliable in warfare, and they
were difficult to procure, owing to the restrictions
which had been placed at that time on the ex-
patriation of the natives of Zanzibar ; restrictions
rendered absolutely necessary owing to the drain
\l on the population of that island caused by the
engagement of Zanzibaris for the many expedi-
tions engaged in African exploration. I had been
much struck with the good qualities of the Makua
of Mozambique The escort I had taken with
me in my journeys of 1889-90 was composed of
Makua, recruited at Mozambique. I had also
obtained Makua for the Thomson-Grant expedi-
tion to Bangweolo, and these men after Mr.
Thomson's return had passed into our police
force. We were also beginning to employ as
police the Atonga natives of West Nyasa. I
therefore decided to pay off and send back our
\ few remaining Zanzibaris, and to replace them
m y by Makua and natives of Nyasaland. Meantime,
however, at a suggestion from the late Mr. Portal,
I.IEUT.-COI, c. A. EDWARDS I tried the experiment of forming a small corps
of Zanzibar Arabs (most of them ex-soldiers of
the Sultan of Zanzibar's bodyguard). These men were of poor physique, and
we only kept them in our service from one to two years. They were very plucky
and, contrary to some people's anticipation, perfectly loyal.2
During the year 1893 arrangements which had been begun for the division
of the British Central Africa Protectorate and the adjoining Sphere of the
1 I need scarcely remind my readers that the Sikhs are not a race but merely a religious sect. They
are really a section of the I'anjab people of very varied types of humanity, some being dark coloured and
of almost Dravidian aspect, others having faces of Greek outline and very pale complexions. The Jat
belongs to the cultivator class and is supposed to be much more aristocratic than the Ma/bi. Between the
Ma/bis and the Tats, however, I could see very little difference in general appearance, and to my thinking
both kinds of Sikhs were equally good; perhaps in one or two points the Mazbis had the advantage in
regard to physical endurance, while on the other hand the Jats were more cheery in disposition, and even
more loyally enthusiastic than the Mazbis. In the days when the Sikhs set much store by caste, the Mazbis
were the " sweepers " or lowest caste of all, and by some were hardly recognised as proper Sikhs.
1 A detailed description of our present military force in the 1'rotectorate will be found in the
Appendix to this chapter.
v
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
119
British South Africa Company into administrative divisions were completed.
The Protectorate was divided into twelve districts, the names of which will
be found in the accompanying map, and that portion of the South Africa
Company's territory which we were able to administer was
divided into the districts of Tanganyika, Chambezi, Mweru
and Luapula.1
During my absence in South Africa Mr. Sharpe had
taken an important step towards controlling the Mlanje
district, and guarding our south-eastern border from the
raids of a very troublesome chief, known as Matipwiri.
To check these raids he had founded Fort Lister in the
pass between Mounts Mlanje and Michesi. The idea of
building a fort at this spot was no new one. It had first
occurred to Consul Hawes in 1886, and I had taken up
the idea again after my first visit to Mlanje in 1892. After
that journey I decided that as soon as we could obtain
reinforcements from India, we should build forts to guard
the north and south ends of Mlanje Mountain. These
forts I subsequently named Fort Lister and Fort Anderson
to commemorate the sympathy and assistance I had re-
ceived at the hands of Sir Villiers Lister and Sir Percy
Anderson of the Foreign Office, in carrying out my
projects for the suppression of the slave trade. Captain
C. K. Johnson commenced the construction of Fort Lister,
but although his advent in this country was warmly
welcomed by the indigenous A-nyanja
chiefs, it was anything but welcome to
the Yao slave traders, prominent among whom was the
chieftain named Nyaserera.2 Nyaserera seems to have disliked
the idea of making an attack in force on the fort as long as
it was defended by a white man, but the idea apparently
occurred to him to attempt the assassination of Captain
Johnson. That, at least, was the belief of most of the native
witnesses whom we subsequently examined. What took place
was this: One night as Captain Johnson was sitting down
to dinner in his temporary bungalow he heard a slight noise
in his adjoining sleeping apartment, and on looking up saw
a man with a spear concealed behind a portiere. He at once
attempted to seize the intruder. The latter grappled with
him in the bath-room, to which he had retreated, and stabbed
the Captain till he swooned. He then made off before
assistance came. This news was conveyed to me by the
Indian hospital assistant at Fort Lister.
I hurried over there with Mr. Whyte, and such was the
panic created amongst the natives by Xyaserera's sudden
evidence of hostility towards us that we had the greatest
difficulty in getting any porters to carry our loads. Part of
1 I believe to these districts the South Africa Company have now added the Mpc/eni district and the
Luangwa districts. The capital of the latter is Fort Jameson.
- Nyaserera though he ruled Yao and identified himself much with the Yao cau^e. was in reality
a Mlolo from the countries west of Lake Chilwa. The A-lolo are closely related to the Makua and
speak nearly the same language.
A hIKH M>U>IKR IN I UK
K.C.A. UNIKOKM
(BLACK, WHITE, YEU.OW, KKU)
A SIKH SOI.DIKK IN
I Kill TINT, KIT
I 20
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the way we had to travel through Nyaserera's country, and between bands of
sullen-looking warriors on either side of the narrow path. They would probably
have attacked us but that an escort of Sikhs had come out 'to meet us from
^^^^^ Fort Lister.
At this place I held meetings with many chiefs, and
endeavoured to detach from Nyaserera his relations and
allies ; and this diplomacy proved so far successful that
when later on Lieut. Edwards arrived from Fort Johnston
he had only Nyaserera to fight, and subdued him after a
brief campaign.
Later in the year further troubles broke out in the
Mlanje district, with the chief Mkanda, whose subjects
had been concerned in recent road robberies, and who was
continually kidnapping women for the slave trade. I took
advantage of the arrival of the second detachment of
ioo Sikhs to bring Mkanda to his senses, but I thought
at first it would be sufficient for him to be made aware
that^the Sikhs were encamped in the plain on their way
to Fort Lister, while the collector of the Mlanje district
(Mr. Bell) visited Mkanda in the mountains with a small
escort and delivered an ultimatum, to which I believed
Mkanda would submit. Mkanda, however, was very in-
solent, and his men commenced attacking Mr. Bell's escort.
To protect themselves in retreating the escort set fire to
some houses and loose stacks of grass for thatching, and
succeeded in reaching the main force encamped in the
plain. They then com-
municated with Captain
Johnson at Fort Lister,
and awaited instructions as to further pro-
cedure. Mkanda took advantage of this tem-
porary inaction to attack the Scotch Mission
station on the borders of his territory. The
missionaries took to flight and Mkanda's men
gutted and burnt most of the houses, and
succeeded in carrying off several guns and a
quantity of ammunition. Fortunately the up-
rising spread no farther, and the other Yao
chiefs did not join in, though Matipwiri sent
out skirmishers to see what he could do in the
way of highway robbery.
Mkanda's men also intercepted and slew
several Atonga labourers on their way to a
European plantation, but after several days'
hard fighting among the crags and precipices
of Mlanje, Captain Johnson succeeded in
capturing all Mkanda's positions, and Mkanda
fled.
His near relation Kada, who had remained on our side during this struggle,
succeeded him in the chieftainship. Most of his people returned when peace
was made, and were allowed to settle in the plains instead of amongst the
A SIKH SOI.1MKK
FIGHTING KIT
^^^^m^
SIKH SOLDIER IN UNDKKSS
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
121
mountains. Mkanda himself eventually made terms with us and returned to
his country. So did Nyaserera, who, strange to say, is now one of our greatest
friends.
It was perhaps just as well that this outbreak occurred when it did, as
it prevented Mkanda attacking us when all our forces were subsequently
engaged in the Makanjira expedition. For this expedition I had been
continually preparing since the death of Captain Maguire. I had succeeded
in getting the gunboats placed on Lake Nyasa and the Upper Shire. These
vessels were now completed, and in the summer of 1893 Admiral Bedford,1
Commander-in-chief on the Cape Station, had paid me a visit at Zomba,
and had proceeded with me to Lake Nyasa to witness the launching of
the two gunboats and to inspect the already completed vessel for the Upper
Shire.
I had discussed the need for this expedition with Mr. Rhodes when
K s nnrsK AT FOR';
visiting Capetown, and he had agreed in addition to the ordinary subsidies
of the Company to find £io,OOO'2 for increasing the police force in order to
grapple with Makanjira and subdue him. This aid had enabled us to obtain
an additional 100 Sikhs from India, who came out under the command
of Lieut. W. H. Manning.3 It was high time we moved because our faithful
ally Jumbe was almost at his last gasp. A certain Yao headman of Jumbe's
named Chiwaura had been encouraged by Makanjira to rebel, and with
the assistance of Makanjira's men had defeated Jumbe and forced him
to retire to his capital. Chiwaura had built a very strong town about five
miles inland from Kotakota, with high loopholed walls of red clay, and an
inner citadel surrounded by trees of great girth. Except on one side
Chiwaura's town was surrounded by an impassable marsh, a swamp which it
was almost impossible to cross.
Accordingly we decided first of all to relieve Jumbe before proceeding
against Makanjira directly. The African Lakes Company's boats Doinira
and Ilala were chartered to convey the troops, while some of the officers
1 Now Sir Frederick Bedford, K.r.n.
- Of which sum over £4,000 were spent and the balance returned to Mr. Rhodes.
3 Now Captain Manning and second in command of the H. C. A. forces.
122
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CAPT. \v. ii. VANNING
and myself travelled on the gunboats which were under the direction of
Commander Robertson, R.X. The officers consisted of Captain Johnson,
Lieut. Edwards, Dr. Watson, and a volunteer in the person of Mr. Glave,
who had come out to Central Africa to study these countries on behalf of
the Century, an American magazine.1 Mr. Alfred Sharpe also accompanied
the expedition.
^^^^^^^^^^^^ Our terms were rejected by Chiwaura who felt
illimitable confidence in his clay walls, not realising
that his town was absolutely at the mercy of a
bombardment. It lay in a marshy plain within 700
yards of the precipitous cliffs of a little plateau. The
approach to this plateau was not defended by
Chiwaura, though he might have made it very
difficult for our forces to get there except with
great loss of men ; but without other difficulties
than those attending transport on men's heads, we
succeeded in planting our 7-pounder guns on the
edge of the aforementioned cliffs. From this position
we shelled Chiwaura, and the main town was soon
in flames. The people retired to the inner citadel,
which was not in the same way destructible, since the
shells burst harmlessly in the adjoining forest. The
enemy after a while called for a truce, but more
Africano employed this interval in the hostilities to strengthen his defences,
and when he was ready to begin again he announced the fact by firing on
our soldiers when they approached the walls under cover of the truce. In
fact in African warfare the hoisting of a white flag really means, " I want a
breathing spell," and when both sides are rested they go on again without
troubling themselves to announce the cessation of the truce.
J urn be had put 4,000 men under arms and had accompanied us to the
scene of the fight, where he remained the whole of the time with his head
wives. Jumbe though old and feeble was not lacking in bravery, and would
willingly have risked his life against Chiwaura had I not held him back,
but Jumbe's commander was by no means a rash man. He was gaudily
dressed in scarlet cloth and had innumerable charms hung about him to
dispel ill-luck, but he was very much afraid of coming to close quarters
with the enemy. During the truce we would watch with amusement this
great mass of several thousand men surge across the quarter of a mile of
plain which lay between us and Chiwaura's town, but as soon as a gun was
discharged from the ramparts by the enemy, Jumbe's commander would shout
" Tamanga ! tamanga ! " (Run ! run !), and the whole four thousand would surge
back to the base of the cliffs. At last the afternoon was drawing towards
evening, and the enemy showed no disposition to yield. Jumbe's people
were beginning to doubt whether the white man was equal to taking such a
place as Chiwaura's. It was necessary to show them that not only could we
set a place on fire at a distance of half a mile through our shells, but if
incumbent on us we could come to close quarters and take a town by
1 Mr. Glave was an Englishman who had served with Stanley on the Congo. He subsequently
journeyed through British Central Africa to the Congo Free State, thence down the Congo to the
vicinity of the Atlantic Ocean, where he unfortunately died of fever he fore he proceeded on board the
ocean-going steamer.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
123
assault, even at the risk of losing lives in so doing. Accordingly Captain
Johnson gave orders for a general assault, and with about seventy Sikhs
and thirty Makua dashed across the plain through the ruined precincts of
the outer town and up to the high wall of the inner citadel, over which he
and the other officers and the Sikhs swarmed and scrambled. The first Sikh
THE RAI'HIA 1'Al.M MARSH UEII1NU CHIWAURA S
Avho succeeded in climbing to the top of the wall, which was about eight
feet high, and began to haul up his comrades, was shot dead. Otherwise
there were no casualties on our part but severe wounds. Once the troops had
got on the top of this high wall of the citadel the enemy were completely
at their mercy and huddled together in a seething mass below. Appalled at
the idea of the slaughter that must ensue from continual firing, Captain
Johnson gave the order " cease firing." This leniency on his part was taken
124 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
by the enemy for sudden fear, and a furious fusillade was opened on our inert
by which several more were wounded. Then with or without order our guns
went off, and numbers of the enemy were shot down. The bulk of them,
however, including Chiwaura, scrambled over the further wall and dropped
into the marsh below, where a good many of them were drowned. Chiwaura
himself was shot as he was running away, and fell dead into the marsh. The
citadel was then entered by our men, and hundreds of women were found
cooped up in the houses, many of them in slave sticks. They were set free
and directed to proceed to Kotakota, where many of them had their homes.1
That same night our forces returned to Kotakota. The next two days were
spent in levelling the \valls of Chiwaura's town.
We then decided to proceed down the south-west shore of the lake, part of
us going overland and the remainder on the gunboats and steamers to the Rifu
peninsula, which was strongly held by Makanjira, whose relation Kuluunda,
a famous woman chief amongst the Yao, had displaced Kazembe, our ally and
her nephew. Whilst attacking Kazembe's old town (Kazembe himself had
joined us with a few men remaining faithful to him) we received information
that a dau had just crossed from Makanjira's with seventy fighting men
on board, and a large quantity of gunpowder, and would probably land in
" Leopard Bay." H.M.S. Pioneer was dispatched thither under the command
of Lieut. Villiers, R.N. Although the Pioneer did not succeed in preventing
the dau from reaching the shore she fired into her and disabled her so that she
stranded on the rocks. But Makanjira's men succeeded in escaping to the hill
overlooking Leopard Bay where they were joined by the defeated enemy
who had been driven out of Kazembe's town. The situation was further
complicated by the arrival of a large Arab slave-trading caravan, commanded
by four or five white Arabs and containing several hundred slaves. The Arabs
joined their forces to those of Kuluunda and Makanjira, and for several days
we besieged these people by land and water round the lofty hill which overlooks
Leopard Bay. Eventually the Arabs of the slave caravan, Kuluunda, and most
of her followers were captured or surrendered; but meantime a force of Jumbe's
men was left to continue the siege of the hill while our Sikhs, Makua, and 300
of Jumbe's soldiers, together with Jumbe himself and all the officers, were
conveyed across the lake to Makanjira's main town. We had made the journey
by way of Monkey Bay so as to have a short rest before embarking on the
most critical part of our programme. We had timed ourselves to arrive at
Makanjira's town at dawn. The enemy were taken somewhat by surprise, and
we succeeded in effecting a landing on the sandy promontory to the south
of Makanjira's huge straggling metropolis of many thousand huts and houses
without meeting with any serious resistance. This promontory was separated
from the town by a strip of low-lying swampy country. After entrenching
ourselves in a camp the bulk of our forces started with Captain Johnson,
Lieut. . Edwards, and Mr. Glave to try conclusions with Makanjira's forces,
while the town was shelled over their heads by Mr. Sharpe from the camp
and from the two gunboats which steamed along the shore. The Pioneer found
1 Not a few of these poor women were far gone with child, and the terror of the bombardment
so upset them that on the way to Kotakota woman after woman sat down by the way and gave birth to a
child, which she straightway abandoned in her panic fear of Chiwaura's pursuit. It was a quaint though
touching sight to see the Sikh soldiers gravely gathering up the new-born babes and carrying them with
their many other burdens of rifle and kit into Kotakota. where they were afterwards impartially distributed
among the various women who claimed to be recently parturient. Never in any historical tale or
Gilbertian burlesque were babies so hopelessly "mixed."
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
125
one of Makanjira's daus drawn up in a narrow creek near to or at the place
where Captain Maguire had been killed. In spite of a heavy fire from the
enemy this dau was attached by a hawser to the gunboat,1 and towed out into
the lake.2
After about five hours' fighting Makanjira's forces gave up the struggle and
disappeared. We then had at our mercy his many villages. Several times he
asked for terms of peace, but apparently without any idea but to gain time.
The place where Captain Maguire had been killed and Boyce and McEvvan
massacred was destroyed, with several other villages and towns in Makanjira's
country. These extreme measures were only resorted to, however, after
Makanjira had refused our terms of peace.
Kuluunda was sent as an exile to Port Herald on the Shire.:!
As Makanjira would not make peace with us I had now to consider what
steps should be taken to occupy his country. Some of my staff were of opinion
that it would be better after destroying the towns to remove our forces, as we
could always return on other occasions and prevent any attempt on the part
of Makanjira to rebuild; but my own views were different. It seemed to me
1 This deed uas accomplished by Ilajji . \skar, a Persian, uho was an interpreter on board the
Pioneer,
- It now plies to and fro across the lake under the British ilai; conveying natives over the ( lo\ eminent
ferry.
•' In 1896 she was allowed to return to her country on the promise of good behaviour.
126
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
that the expeditions against Makanjira would have to be annual unless we
permanently occupied his country. I therefore decided to leave Major Edwards
behind with a large force of Sikhs to build a strong fort near the place where
Captain Maguire had been killed. This fort was then named " Fort Maguire."
Having chosen the site and. seen the British flag hoisted with great ceremony
I returned to Zomba and spent the winter in attending to the civil organisation
of the Protectorate. At the beginning of 1894 Makanjira attacked Fort
Maguire and the surrounding villages with a large force of men, but was
defeated with great loss by Captain Edwards, who soon after succeeded
Captain Johnson as the senior officer in command of the B.C.A. forces.
ONK OF MAKANJIRA'S CAVTURE
AT MONKEY KAY
Early in this year Mr. Harrhy, who had been lent by the Postmaster-General
of Cape Colony (Mr. French) for a year to organise our Postal Service, returned
to Cape Town, and his place was 'taken by Mr. J. E. McMaster (now Vice-
Consul at Chinde), who has been a most efficient Postmaster-General.
In April, 1894, I returned to England for a much-needed holiday, Mr.
Sharpe conducting the administration of the country during my absence.
Besides reasons of health which necessitated this return, the time had come
when the development of the Protectorate required its administration to be
placed on a thoroughly sound basis, and the period during which the South
Africa Company had agreed to contribute towards the cost of its administration
being near expiration ' it would be necessary for Her Majesty's Government
to consider the financial provision which was needed for the future maintenance
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 129
of the Protectorate. The summer and autumn of 1894 were spent in making
these arrangements, the results of which were that the Civil Service was hence-
forth efficiently organised, and the South Africa Company's subsidies were
devoted to the administration of the Company's own territory; the direct
administration of which was taken over from me by the Company in 1895.
The Imperial Government repaid to the South Africa Company and to Mr.
Rhodes a proportion of the sums spent on the defence and development of the
Protectorate.
The Civil Service of the Protectorate and the Postal Service were put on a
satisfactory footing. A postage stamp l was designed and issued. Arrangements
were made for taking over the lake gunboats from the Admiralty and working
them henceforth by the Administration of the Protectorate.
Freed from all future anxieties concerning finance I started for India to
THE BEACH AT MAKANJIRA's (PRESENT SITE OK FORT MAGUIRE)
settle the question of the Indian contingent on a definite basis with the
Indian authorities.
A very satisfactory arrangement was come to, lasting six years, which
permits of our employing as many as 200 Sikhs from the Indian Army in
British Central Africa.
I left India on the 1st of April, 1895, and reached Chinde on the I9th of
that month, and Zomba on the 4th of May. I found that during my absence
everything had proceeded smoothly until the early spring of 1895, when the
Yao chief Kawinga, whose attitude had long been threatening, had attempted
a very serious attack on the British Protectorate. He had felt his way by first
raiding the villages of a chief named Malemia, in whose territory the Church of
1 The design for this was slightly altered of late and differently printed, but remains practically the
same as that devised in 1894. It consists of the Coat of Arms of the Protectorate (which is on the
cover of this book). This Coat of Anns was designed by me, with the assistance and advice of Sir Albert
Woods It may be described as a shield sable, with a pile or, and over all a fimbriated cross argent, bearing
an inescutcheon gules on which is imprinted the Royal Arms in or. The shield is poised on an outspread
map of Africa ; supporters, two negroes, one carrying a pick and the other a shovel ; crest, a coffee-tree in
lull hearing; motto, "Light in darkness." Put in plain language the shield is intended to illustrate our
three colours, black, yellow, and white, with a touch of the English red. Into the sable mass of Africa
I have driven a pile (wedge) of Indian yellow. Over all is the white cross, representing in its best
-significations the all-embracing white man. The inescutcheon of English red shows the Arms of the
protecting Power. The motto. " Light in darkness," was the suggestion of the late Sir Percy Anderson.
1 3o BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Scotland Mission was established. Mr. Sharpe sent a small force of Sikhs and
Aton^a under Corporal William Fletcher, and an Atonga sergeant named
Bandawe, to defend Malemia's principal village where the Scotch missionaries
were.
This expedition, which only consisted of six Sikhs and a few Atonga,
built a "boma"1 to protect themselves against any sudden attack from
Kawinga. It was fortunate they did so, because a day or two afterwards he
descended on them with 2,000 men, many of them recruited from amongst the
warlike Anguru of the countries east of Lake Chilwa. It appears that Kawinga,
in alliance with Zarafi and Matipwiri, had really resolved on attempting
to drive the British out of the Shire Highlands. An attack was first to
be made on the unarmed Mission stations at Domasi Their men, whetted
with success, would then feel the necessary courage to attack the Residency at
Zomba. Having captured this and possibly succeeded in murdering the Com-
missioner, the forces of Zarafi and Kawinga would advance on Blantyre, whilst
TIIRKK OK MAKANJIKA'S CAPTURED DAUS (FORT MAGUIRE)
Matipwiri sweeping through the Mlanje district, would unite his forces to theirs,
and the Yao then counted on taking possession of the gunboats at Chiromo.
Zarafi had sent his son and some of his fighting men to assist in the preliminary
attack on Domasi.
War with Kawinga was always felt, since our abortive attack on his
positions in 1891, to be a serious affair not lightly to be encountered. We had
therefore put up with a great deal of robberies, outrages and slave kidnapping
on the part of Kauinga without renewing the war with him till we had larger
forces at our disposal. Mr. Sharpe therefore at first intended to do no more
than guard the approaches to the main station at Domasi,- though he made
preparations for assembling as large a force of Sikhs and Atonga as were
available.
Kawinga's aggressive action however got no farther than " Fletcher's
boma." Thi-i trumpery little fort was so splendidly defended by the Sikhs
1 He mm i.i a S\\aliili word meaning " a fence," "a stockade." It is a term which has come into
general use in British Central Africa, and is often applied to (lovernment stations, most of which were al
first provided \\iili some such defence.
- Domasi S defended by Mr. S. Hewitt-Fletcher. 2nd Accountant to the Hritish Central
Africa Administn'1 ion. Some confusion arose between the two Fletchers in the subsequent newspaper
descriptions.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 131
and the Atonga that the Yao again and again recoiled before the well-directed
rifle fire. At last the ammunition on the side of the British was giving out,
and in spite of the heavy losses amounting to over a hundred men on the part
of the enemy it looked as though the defence must come to an end. At
this juncture a reinforcement of Atonga was seen to be arriving, brought up
by two planters, Messrs. Hynde and Starke. Bandawe proposed to Fletcher
that they should charge the demoralised enemy who were already aware of
the approach of reinforcements. Accordingly the defenders sallied out from
the fort firing their last volleys. The Yao broke and fled, and were pursued
for miles by the Sikhs and Atonga. Many prisoners were captured by
Malemia's men, who had hitherto decidedly " sat on the fence," apparently
ready, had Kawinga prevailed, to side with the conqueror against the British.
A RURAL I'OST OFFICE, BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Among the prisoners taken was a son of Zarafi, whom Malemia caused to
be beheaded.
Kawinga retired to his mountain of Chikala. It seemed however to -Air.
Sharpe that whilst the army remained demoralised was the time to definitely
bring this struggle with Kawinga to a close. At this time his reinforcements of
Sikhs had arrived from Fort Johnston under the command of Lieut. Hamilton
and Captain \Y. H. Manning.
Kawinga's stronghold was approached by a new route and the enemy
were taken by surprise. They defended the fords of the rivers with some
pertinacity, and a few casualties took place amongst our native soldiers and
allies. But while the main approach to the town was still being contested
I 72
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Lieut. Hamilton had entered the place with his Sikhs from another quarter and
the enemy broke and fled.1
With the subdual of Kavvinga the road robberies, except in the Mlanje
district, came to an end ; a sense of security spread over the southern portion
of the Protectorate which was quite pleasantly unfamiliar. It was felt that in a
very trying crisis Mr. Sharpe
had acted with decision and
promptitude and without flurry,
and many of the European
settlers expressed the sense of
obligation which they felt to-
wards Mr. Sharpe.
In other respects the record
of the Protectorate during my
absence in England had been
singularly peaceful. By negotia-
tions which Mr. Sharpe had
commissioned Major Edwards
to undertake, a civil war that
had long raged between the
Angoni chiefs Chikusi and
Chifisi was brought to a close. -
Mr. Sharpe returned to
England on leave of absence,
and Major Edwards and myself
began to make steady prepara-
tions for the inevitable cam-
paign against Zarafi, a campaign
rendered absolutely necessary
because this chief finding that
he was not visited with war
after his co-operation in the
Kawinga raids, began to attack
Fort Johnston. However, our
plans in regard to Zarafi were
temporarily postponed because
Matipwiri attacked one of our
hill patrols in the Mlanje dis-
trict, and it was obvious that this chief would renew his raids in that direction
directly our forces were engaged with Zarafi.
I was at Chiromo when the news came of Matipwiri's hostility. I therefore
1 Kawinga has subsequently made peace with us, and though not allowed to return to Chikala he is
stationed on British territory. Chikala Mountain is now guarded by a fort. As an instance of the rapid
way in which the negro accepts the results of an appeal to force, and his want of rancour, I may state
these facts : that when in 1896 we proceeded against Zarafi Kawinga did his very best to help us, giving
as his reason for so doing "that he had been well beaten by the British ; it was now time that Zarafi had
a licking." Kawinga's son provided us with guides who led us along the best route to Zarafi's country,
and Kawinga sent with me a special bodyguard of Yao who were charged to look after my personal
safety, and who certainly did their best in this respect.
2 In this war Chikusi, who was a very ill-conditioned young fellow, had been the aggressor, and the
way in which he was almost compelled to make peace with Chifisi left a certain amount of rancour in
his mind against the British, which ill-feeling finally culminated in his attacking the British Protectorate
in the autumn of 1896, in his defeat, and death. In our counter attack on Chikusi we had the entire
support of Chifisi and his men.
WATCH TOWER AT FORT JOHNSTON
ERECTED BY CAPTAIN C. E. JOHNSON TO WATCH ZARAFI
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
'33
A SIKH SERdKANT-MAJOK OF THE BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA CONTINGKN1
started for Mlanje where I arranged to rendezvous with Major Edwards.
We made very careful preparations and suddenly fell on Matipwiri, travelling
all night over the distance which separated his principal town from F<>rt
Lister. His men made but a feeble stand and Matipwiri and his brother
Kumtiramanja1 fled to Tundu hill, where they made their last stand. From
this position they were driven off by Captain the Hon. \Y. K. Cavendish
and Lieut. Coape-Smith, and large supplies of war material were abandoned
1 Tnc mure powerful chief of the two.
'34
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
in their flight and captured by Captain Cavendish. Subsequently both Matip-
\viri and Kumtiramanja were taken prisoners by Lieut. Coape-Smith. A fort
was built in their country and Matipwiri's former subjects settled down very
contentedly under our rule, and the country has since been perfectly peaceful.
This settlement was rendered all the easier because Matipwiri, like most of the
Van chiefs, was a usurper, and not a native of the district in which he had
established himself. Many of his subjects belonged to the A-lolo stock and
spoke a language akin to Makua.
From the hills in Matipwiri's- country we were able to look out eastwards
over a most wonderful country
-^jpijj^te hitherto untraversed by any white
man, but within the Portuguese
Sphere of Influence. We could
see splendid ranges of mountains
almost as high as Mlanje- — that
is to say, reaching in parts to an
altitude of 8,000 feet. When the
interior of Portuguese East Africa
is opened up this A-lolo country
should become a great resort of
European planters, as it is very
fertile and admirably well watered.
In the Matipwiri expedition
we had for the first time tried
our new military organisation,
especially in regard to the Native
levies, and we were greatly en-
couraged by the results and
proceeded with some confidence
on the expedition against Zarafi.
This expedition was brought to a
completely successful result after
a week's fighting in which we lost
our best Sikh non-commissioned
officer. The heights of Mangoche
Mountain were successfully taken
by storm, the lost 7 - pounder
cannon was recovered, and Zarafi
fled far to the eastward into
Portuguese East Africa, where of course we were unable to follow him. A
fort was planned on the site of Zarafi's town, and was subsequently built
by Lieut. Alston. We then proceeded to try conclusions with Mponda,
who after several years of doubting had at last decided to renew his struggle
with us and had retired to a strong place, Mauni, in the mountains of the
Cape Maclear peninsula. Major Edwards started with a strong force for Mauni,
but Mponda at the last moment deemed discretion to be the better part of
valour, and, eluding the force sent against him, came down in a canoe to
Eort Johnston and surrendered to me. As much bloodshed was saved by
this act of Mponda's I dealt as leniently with him as possible, and secured
to him his personal property, though I deemed it necessary to send him
away from his country for a time as his presence was so obnoxious to the mass
NATIVE SOI.DIKRS, BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
135
•of the population which of late years had placed themselves under the British.
Mponda, like most of the other chiefs in the southern part of the Protectorate,
was of Yao origin, and the bulk of his subjects were A-nyanja.
Major Edwards now advanced against Makanjira who of late had renewed
his raids into British territory and had
founded a new capital in the hills, just
over the British side of the border, and
about ten miles from the south-east coast
of Lake Nyasa. This town was taken
and destroyed by Lieut. Coape- Smith.
Makanjira's forces were completely routed
and fled in disorder into Portuguese
territory.
On my return to Fort Johnston from
Zarafi's I received letters from Karonga
at the north end of Lake Nyasa and from
Mr. Crawshay, the Vice-Consul at Deep
Bay, informing me that the situation at
the north end of the lake was serious, as
Mlozi and the Arabs were now raiding in
all directions for slaves, and openly an-
nounced their intention of fighting the
British as soon as the rainy season began.
Mlozi had captured and severely flogged
a lay missionary named Stevens ; he had
even threatened the Free Church Mission
station near Fife on the Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, and Dr. Cross, a medical mission-
ary, had been obliged to proceed to that
place to bring away the wife of the
missionary through German territory.
Mlozi had amongst other things
attacked the populous villages of the
Awa-wandia, and besides slaughtering
many of the men had carried off women
and children to his stronghold. He had
concluded an alliance with the powerful
Awemba tribe to the west, and it was
obvious that unless we moved first he
would soon be attacking Karonga with
an overwhelming force. I may state here
parenthetically that since my return from
Kngland I had in July, 1895, made a
special journey to the north end of Lake
Nyasa to see Mlozi and persuade him to
keep the peace according to the original
treaty concluded by him in 1889; but on
arriving at Karonga Mlozi had flatly refused to see me, and had even written
inr a very threatening letter, in the course of which he remarked, "The
British have closed my route to the coast: very well, I will close their road
to Tanganyika."
A\ ATONGA SOI I 'IKK
i36
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
IN ZARAFJ S TOWN
The Arabs were not able to go to
war with us at that time, and also they
wished first of all to gather in their
crops. They knew besides that the
Europeans fought at a disadvantage in the rainy season, and it was evident
if we did not take steps to reduce the Arab power before the end of December
they would attack us in January with many chances in their favour.
Accordingly with some reluctance I resolved to continue our campaigns
on Lake Xyasa by an expedition against the Arabs. Our little force had by
this time been nicknamed the " ever victorious army." We had now 400 men
(100 Sikhs and 300 natives) on whom we could place absolute reliance, and
the force had been strengthened by the advent of several volunteer officers.
The officers on the staff consisted of Major C. A. Edwards ; Captain F. T.
Stewart;1 Captain the Honble. W. E. Cavendish; Lieut. H. Coape - Smith ;
Lieut. G. de Herries Smith ; and Lieut. Alston ;2 Dr. Wordsworth Poole and
Sergeant-Major Devoy.
It was essential that the Arabs should be taken by surprise ; that we should
fall on them with all our available force and surround their strongholds before
they could escape to the interior, for they might prefer to run away instead of
fighting out the struggle, which they could renew at a more convenient season.
Therefore, our most important problem was how to transport 400 men, seven
officers and the necessary munitions of war in one trip. The gunboats would
only carry about fifteen men each and a similar proportion of our stores ; the
African Lakes Company's steamer Doniira could not take much more than
1 Who with Captain Cavendish was left to watch Makanjira and Zarafi.
- The Volunteers were Major L. Bradshaw (of the 35th Sikhs), Major V. C. Trollope (Grenadier
Guards), and last, but not least, Mr. Walter Gordon Cummin^. These gentlemen served in the autumn
campaign of 1895 \\itliout pay and at their own expense. Major Trollope and Mr. Gordon dimming
were visiting the country for the purposes of sp<>n. Major Bradshaw, who was a brother officer of
Major Edwards, and assisted us when in India to recruit Sikhs, was very anxious to study the question of
Indian soldiers fighting in Africa, and had obtained leave of absence so that he might join our campaign.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 137
100 men. I bethought myself of the German steamer the ll'i'ssindun, which was
fortunately at that moment lying off Fort Johnston. I had an interview with
her Commander, Captain Berndt, and relying on him as a man of honour,
communicated my plans to him, and asked whether I could hire the German
steamer to carry them out. He at once assented and proposed terms which
were generous financially as they provided merely for the working expenses of
the steamer. I may say here that my plans were kept absolutely secret by
Captain Berndt, and that no hint reached the Arabs as to our intentions.
Major Edwards and I made a hasty journey to Zomba for final preparations
and the expedition left Fort Johnston on the 24th of November, 1895. On the
way to the north end of the lake Major Edwards fell ill, so that when we landed
at Karonga I was temporarily deprived of the services of my commander-in-
chief, who for a few days was obliged to lie up. But his plans had been so well
DKF.I' BAY STATION
laid that they were carried out without a hitch by Lieut. Coape-Smith, who
succeeded him temporarily in the command. Major Bradshaw was also an
invalid, but fortunately both he and .Major Edwards recovered in time to take
part in the final assault on Mlo/i's stockade. Our plan of campaign was this:1
Mlozi's stockaded town was situated about eleven miles inland from Karonga,
the station of the African Lakes Company on the shore of Lake Xyasa. About
six miles inland from Karonga were the stockades of Msalemu and Kopakopa
which guarded the ford of the River Rukuru. Mlozi's town was in the plain
near the south bank of the River Rukuru. It was overlooked by a ridge of hills
to the south which ran transversely to the course of the river. The Arab road
from Kopakopa's stockade to Mlozi's ran through a pass in these hills, and this
low range on the side of the pass nearest the river terminated in a rather high
house-shaped hill which it was possible to climb to the summit, and where guns
could be planted. Our idea was to send out about 300 men and a number of
1 In drawing up this plan at /.omba Major Edwards and I \\viv greatly helped by the notes and
map-, i if M]o/,i's stockade which had been made for us by Dr. Kerr Cross and Major Trollope.
•38
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
officers under the command of Lieut. Coape-Smith, who should proceed by
a circuitous course northwards till they came opposite Mlozi's town, with the
River Rukuru running in between. This march should be undertaken at
night and the River Rukuru forded in the darkness, opposite the house-shaped
hill, which eminence was to be seized and garrisoned by one division under
Major Trollope. Lieut. Coape-Smith was then to place a section of his force
under Lieut. Alston to guard the approach to the River Rukuru from Mlozi's
town. A further division under Mr. Gordon Gumming was to pass round to
the back of Mlozi's town and take up a position to the west of it. Major
Trollope's force by occupying the house-shaped hill would command the pass
through which the road to Kotakota passed, and thus be able to cut off Mlozi's
retreat in that direction. Mr. Walter Gordon Cumming's force would be able
to check his flight westward and Lieut. Alston prevent him from crossing the
MI.OZI, CHIEF OF THK NORTH NYASA \RA1!S
River Rukuru to the Tanganyika road. Having posted these three divisions
in the darkness of the night Lieut. Coape-Smith was to return along the
banks of the river to Kopakopa's, and meet me there at eight o'clock in the
morning ; for I in the meantime should have started with the naval division
and a force of Sikhs under Lieut, de Herries Smith and have attacked, and
presumably mastered Kopakopa and Msalemu. Lieut. Coape-Smith accordingly
left Karonga at eight o'clock at night on the 1st of December, and although
it was raining cats and dogs and the night was pitch dark he carried out
the whole of the operations entrusted to him without a single mistake or
deviation, and punctually turned up at Kopakopa at eight o'clock next
morning. I left at five o'clock in the morning of the 2nd of December with
a strong force of artillery under Commander Percy Cullen, R.N.R. (the senior
naval officer on Lake Nyasa), and accompanied by Lieut. Rhoades and
Phillips (of the Lake Nyasa gunboats) ; the petty officers of the said
gunboats; Sergeant -Major Devoy ; Dr. Poole ; and Lieut. Merries Smith
who commanded the Sikhs. We reached Msalemu's stockades soon after
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 139
daylight, and began to shell it. A few shots were fired by the enemy, but
their resistance was soon overcome and they fled from Msalemu's and
Kopakopa simultaneously, and crossed the Rukuru River. We therefore
entered the stockades and took possession of them. Kopakopa however
had resolved to make but little stand here and to unite his force with those
of Mlozi in the defence of the latter town, where the war would really be
fought out. He had therefore retreated from his stockade in the night,
directly the rumour of our landing had reached him, and although he lost
some of his men from the fire of Major Trollope's party he succeeded in
effecting his retreat to Mlozi's.
After a short rest at Kopakopa's we marched along the Arab road to Mlozi's
stockade and came up with Major Trollope's force at I p.m. Getting the guns
into position Commander Cullen commenced a most effective fire, which would
have probably burned Mlozi's town to the ground then and there but for a
terribly heavy rain falling at the time. The enemy returned our fire with
TIIK TRANSPORTS ON TIIKIK WAV To KAKOM1A
ARRIVING IN I.1KOMA I!AV, EAST NYASA
vigour but could only use against us rifles, muzzle-loading guns, and one
muzzle-loading cannon. Although their firing was fairly good we kept pretty
much outside their range. We sheltered ourselves in one or two outlying
villages which apparently had been built for the housing of slaves. One of
these settlements was within 250 yards of the main entrance of Mlozi's stockade
and this we managed to occupy, with only one serious casualty. It is true
we were not very well sheltered from Mlozi's fire in this position, but then the
fire of his men was rather high and the bullets whistled harmlessly over our
heads. We now drew the cordon tighter round Mlozi's stockade in an almost
continuous ring of armed men. About 700 Wankonde people had tendered
their services as carriers for our guns, and these men though unwilling to get
within fire still assisted us in repelling sorties from the stockade, which, as the
bombardment continued, became fiercer and more frequent.
Mlozi's town was of large extent, perhaps half a square mile in area, and
it was surrounded by a rather remarkable stockade which consisted of a double
fence of withes thoroughly coated with hard clay and with a flat roof of wooden
beams, thatch and clay. This hollow stockade was cut up by transverse parti-
tions into innumerable dwellings. It was loopholed in two rows and pits were
dug below the level of the ground for the shelter of the defenders who fired
140 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
from the upper and the lower loopholes. Here and there angles of the
stockade were guarded by specially strong bastions, and in most places there
was a kind of moat below the glacis of the stockade. At intervals small gate-
ways had been made, their doors being of heavy hewn planks and the passages
through the doorway into the town most intricate. It was an admirable
stockade for the purpose as shells had no effect on it, merely making a round
hole as they passed through, the resistance being too weak to cause any breach
to be made by an exploding shell. Mlozi's weakness lay, however, in his not
having built his stockade alongside the water from which he was separated
by nearly a quarter of a mile. We had cut him off from his water supply, and
although rain fell in abundance the water obtained was not sufficient for the
enormous number of people cooped up in the stockade, and the cattle. More-
over within the stockade the houses were closely packed with inflammable grass
roofs, and these were soon set on fire by incendiary shells. Naturally many
of the people took shelter in pits below the ground ; still the bombardment
caused great loss of life. A sortie en force was made on the night of the
2nd of December, but was smartly repelled by Commander Cullen with his
Nordenfelt gun.
. At seven o'clock in the morning of the following day just as we had resumed
our artillery fire, Mlozi hoisted a flag of truce. We ceased firing and I walked
up to within a short distance of the walls to meet Mlozi who had come out
of the main gateway. I was going to meet him face to face, but that one
of the black sailors of the gunboats, a native of Zanzibar, warned me that
he had overheard the Arabs advising Mlozi to stab me as soon as I came from
under the guns of the fort and then to retreat through the open gateway. This
may or may not have been Mlozi's intention. At any rate I deemed it prudent
to halt him at about eight yards distance, and from this point I spoke to him.
He asked what would be our terms of peace and I replied " the immediate
surrender of himself and all the other Arabs and of their fighting men, and the
giving up of their guns and the release of all slaves held in the fort." If he
would fulfil these conditions I promised the Arabs and all their men their lives,
but declined to commit myself to any other promises until I had investigated
the whole case. Mlozi after some hesitation said that he would return and
consult Kopakopa. Meantime two of his leading men were given to us as
hostages, so that we might approach nearer to the fort and converse with the
Arabs. Presently, however, an Arab — it may have been Mlozi — came out
of the gateway and shouted to us that they would go on fighting ; if we wanted
them we must come and take them. We therefore released the hostages and
allowed them to return, but before the flag of truce could be taken down Mlozi
had opened fire on Lieut. Alston and on my camp. Fortunately the bullets
passed through Lieut. Alston's helmet and left him uninjured, while I had just
entered a hut and so escaped the fire directed at me.
I hesitated to sanction an immediate assault on the stockade as it appeared
likely to result in a terrible loss of life to our men. I therefore decided it was
best that we should continue the bombardment and protract the war, so as
to cause Mlozi to use up much of his ammunition before we finally assaulted
the stockade. But matters were precipitated by the excellence of our artillery
fire. A refugee Mhenga chief, who had escaped from the stockade during trie-
trace, pointed out to us the exact situation of Mlozi's house, the roof of which
rose somewhat above the other buildings. Commander Cullen sighted a
9-pounder gun very carefully, and Sergeant-Major Devoy landed three shells
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
141
in the middle of this, one passing through the doorway and killing four men.
One of the shells that burst in Mlozi's house, wounded Mlozi in the head
and killed one of his followers. The rumoui went about that Mlozi was dead
and a furious sortie took place — a sortie which elicited from us no pity because
it was almost as much an impetuous attack on our own positions. The bullets
simply whistled through the air, and it was marvellous that we did not meet
with more casualties ; but our soldiers fought splendidly, and strange to say
the timid Wankonde also came to the front and between two and three hundred
of Mlozi's men were shot or speared ; amongst them fell four Arabs, one of
them alleged to be Kopakopa, though it would afterwards seem he was
Kopakopa of Tanganyika, and not the man who had built the stockade
A CORNER OF MLOZl's STOCKADE
near Karonga. The latter is said to have been severely wounded but
is still living in the Senga country. Our attempts to repulse the sortie
brought the Sikhs close up to the walls, and somehow or other with or without
command from their officers they scaled the ramparts and stood on the roof.
Lieuts. de Herries Smith and Coape- Smith were dragged up on to the roof
of the stockade by the first Sikhs who had got there, and the first man to
jump down into the stockade was Lieut, de Herries Smith, who immediately
fell, shot through the right arm. Lieut. Coape-Smith and Mr. Gordon Gumming
followed Herries Smith, lifted him up and carried him out of the Arab fire.
Majors Edwards and Bradshaw had by this time arrived from Karonga, and
together with Commander Cullen, Dr. Poole and myself and the other officers
made for the stockade. Lieut. Alston and Major Trollope had joined the party
under Coape-Smith. Edwards and Bradshaw scrambled over the walls.
Commander Cullen made a breach through the doorway with axes, and he
i42 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
and I passed in, having been preceded by a number of Wankonde who drove
out the cattle. Night had now fallen ; we had lost one Sikh and three Atonga
killed, and Lieut, de Herries Smith severely wounded, besides one Sikh hospital
assistant and five Sikhs and five native soldiers were more or less severely
wounded.
Nothing had as yet been seen of Mlozi. Every effort had been made
to protect the women, no matter whether they were the Arabs' wives or
their slaves, and fortunately little or no loss of life took place amongst them.
They were soon safely housed in our main camp and here they gave us valuable
information as to the whereabouts of Mlozi. All search for this man in his
dwelling, however, proved fruitless, and we were returning to our camp at
night very disconsolate, when suddenly the rumour went up that he had been
THE NYASA-TANGANYIKA ROAD
MADK I'.Y THE BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA ADMINISTRATION)
captured and brought in by Sergeant-Major Bandawe of the Atonga. Bandawe
soon appeared leading Mlozi captive and related the remarkable feat of his capture
which was as follows : — After the Sikhs and officers had given up searching M lo/i's
house Bandawe had remained behind feeling certain that there was some secret
hiding place. After an interval during which he remained perfectly quiet he
fancied he heard voices speaking underground. In the corner of the main room
was a bedstead, and under the bedstead was an opening leading to an under-
ground chamber. Crawling under the bed Banda\ve heard Mlozi asking, " \\"ho
is there?" Mimicking the voice of a Swahili, he' replied " It is I, master," and
descended to the underground chamber, where he found Mlozi being guarded
by a man with a spear. Bandawe had no weapon with him but threw himself
on the man and wrenched his spear from him which he then ran through his
body. Turning to Mlozi he threatened to kill him at once unless he followed
him without resistance. Mlo/.i who was stupid with his wound did so, and he
was safely brought into the camp by Bandawe.
\\ r had found out from some of the runaway slaves that during the
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
bombardment Mlozi had caused a good many of the hostages whom he had
detained from the natives to be slaughtered. I therefore summoned a council
of the Wankonde chiefs, and under my superintendence they tried Mlozi on
this count. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. When called upon
for his defence he merely said, " What is the good ? These people are resolved
that I shall die. My hour is come."
He was sentenced to be hanged, but it was originally intended that this
sentence should be carried out at Karonga. After the trial, however, a number
of Mlozi's men who were prisoners succeeded in overpowering the guard and
escaping, and the rumour went about that Kapanda-nsaru's forces were at hand
coming to the relief of Mlozi. As a strong flank attack on the part of the
Arabs might have cut off our line of retreat to Karonga, it was resolved that
Mlozi's execution should take place immediately, so that we might be released
ii
IIIK \YASA-TA\CANYIKA ROAD
from the responsibility of guarding him. He was accordingly hanged on the
afternoon of the 4th December, in the presence of the Wankonde chiefs.
On the fourth day of the campaign we were back again at Karonga ; but
here we found to our great disgust that the s.s. Domira, contrary to my orders,
had been sent away by the agent of the African Lakes Company. The
departure of the officers and men was therefore delayed for some' weeks.
Meantime I left for the south with Major Kdwards to attend to other matters
that were pressing.
My three days at Mlo/i's without sufficient shelter in the midst of pouring
rain, without proper food and having to place my mattress on the wet -round
and to drink the foul water of the early rains, had begun to make me very 'ill, and
a few days after leaving Karonga I was down with an attack of black-water
fever, in which I was most tenderly and carefully nursed by Major KdwanU
who conveyed me on the German steamer to Fort Johnston and thence to
Liwonde, where 1 was joined by Dr. Poole, who eventually landed me safe and
sound and recovered at Zomba. Meanwhile Lieut. Coape-Smith and Mr. Gordon
i44
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
dimming were destroying the remainder of the Arab stockades in the North
Nyasa districts, and Lieut. Alston and Mr. A. J. Swann were conducting a
brilliantly successful expedition in the interior of the Marimba district where
the notorious Saidi Mwazungu1 had induced the powerful chief Mwasi Kazungu
to declare war against the British.
After a little fighting Saidi Mwazungu surrendered, but Mwasi declined to
make peace. His capital was stormed and taken. He himself escaped, but
soon afterwards committed suicide. He was of Achewa race, but was allied to
the Angoni, and had under him many Angoni headmen. Originally it was
intended that his attack on our positions in Jumbe's country should coincide
IN FORT HI LI.
with the Arab outbreak, but the movements were not quite simultaneous and
we were therefore able to deal with each in turn.
It had finally been resolved by me that the campaign should close with the
driving out of two Yao robber chiefs who had settled in the Central Angoniland
district — Tambala and Mpemba. Captain Stewart led an expedition into
Central Angoniland which was joined by Lieut. Alston. Tambala's stronghold
was captured and he himself fled. Mpemba hid in the bush but later on was
made prisoner by Commander Cullen and Mr. Gordon Cumming. The latter
succeeded Captain Stewart in the command of the Central Angoniland district,
and did a great deal to bring it into order.
Here as elsewhere in Nyasaland we were much assisted in our campaigns
by the real natives of the country who were almost always opposed to the
1 This was the man who as before related ordered the massacre of Dr. Eoyce and Mr. McKwan.
After our conquest of Makanjira's country, Saidi Mwazungu fled to the west of Nyasa, and settled \\ith
Mwasi Kazungu where he wras surrounded by a number of refugees from Makanjira's.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE
145
chiefs of alien origin who ruled over them and were in conflict with the
British. The bulk of the inhabitants in Central Angoniland are neither Angoni
nor Yao but Achewa and A-chipeta, branches of the A-nyanja stock.
At the north end of Lake Nyasa a new Administration station was built
by Mr. G. A. Taylor the collector, near Karonga, and a strong fort, called Fort
Hill,1 was erected near the British South Africa Company's boundary by
Mr. Yule, for the purpose of guarding the Nyasa-Tanganyika road from the
raids of the Awemba.
The Awemba are a warlike race inhabiting the regions of the Nyasa-
Tanganyika plateau which are watered by the River Chambezi. They
IHK SI ()( KADK, FORT HIM.
originally came from the country of Itawa on the south-west coast of
Tanganyika. In Livingstone's day they do not appear to have been a
particularly warlike or aggressive race; but soon after they came under Aral)
influence and were supplied by the Arabs with guns and gunpowder, and
thenceforth took to slave raiding with extraordinary zest. For several years
past they had harried not only the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau at the south
end of Tanganyika, but even the territory that has recently come under
German influence ; and of late they had been taken up by Mloz'i as his special
allies, and were introduced by him into the North Xyasa district from which
their stragglers have been expelled since the conclusion of the Arab war. As
a people, however, they are by no means indisposed to come to terms with
us if they see that we are a strong power.
A strong fort was built in the spring and summer of this year by Lieut.
1 After Sir Clement Hill, the head of the African Department at the Foreign ( )!nVe.
146
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Alston on the site of Zarafi's town at Mangoche Mountain. Zarafi's former
capital was situated on a neck or pass between high mountains and constituted
one of the most obvious and frequented roads into British Central Africa. The
boundaries of this Protectorate are so well guarded by lofty and inaccessible
ranges of mountains or by broad lakes and swamps that there are not many
routes by which it can be easily approached from the East Coast. The road
through Zarafi's country however is so easy that it will always require to
be specially guarded if the slave trade is to be stopped.
In the month of May, 1896, I had a serious relapse of bilious remittent
fever which ultimately developed hsematuric symptoms. I therefore returned to
England on leave of absence, being relieved by Mr. Sharpe, who had been
in England during the second half of 1895. Since my return the progress
of the country has continued almost without check or interruption. Raids
on the part of the southern Angoni into the south-western portion of the
Protectorate occurred in the autumn of 1896, apparently as a reflex of the
agitation amongst their Matabele kindred in the south. These were sharply
punished by a force dispatched against the chiefs Chikusi and Odete under
Captains F. T. Stewart and W. H. Manning, and Lieut. Alston. The latter
had previously captured a slave-raiding chief named Katuri who lived near
Fort Mangoche, and who might be described as the last unconquered adherent
of the Zarafi clan. With these exceptions the tranquillity of the Protectorate
has not been further disturbed. The Imperial Government has placed the
British South Africa Company's forces in the adjoining Sphere of Influence
under an Imperial Officer who is subordinated to the control of Lieut.-
Colonel Edwards, or whoever commands the armed forces in the British
Central Africa Protectorate. The efficiency
of the Administration was further recog-
nised by the Admiralty who proposed
handing over to us the gunboats on the
Zambezi and Lower Shire, in a way
similar to the transference of the lake
gunboats in 1895 ; but for various reasons
it has been deemed preferable to retain
these vessels under the White Ensign.
A brief summary of the results of
the British administration of this
Protectorate from 1891 to 1896
may be expressed as follows :— -
At the commencement of our
administration in July, 1891,
there were, as far as I can
calculate, fifty-seven Europ-
eans resident in the British
Central Africa Protector-
ate, and in the adjoining
Sphere of the British South
Africa Company. Of these
MR. ALFRED SHARPE IN 1896 OttC WRS French, tWO WCTC
Austrian Poles, and the
remainder were British. In the summer of 1896 the European settlers in the
Protectorate alone exceeded 300 in number, and probably amounted to forty-
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 147
five in the adjoining Sphere of the British South Africa Company.1 At the
time I made this calculation as to the number of the Europeans in the
Protectorate, in the summer of 1896, I ascertained that 30 were non-British
subjects, and consisted of 13 Germans, 8 Dutch, i Frenchman, 2 Italians,
5 Austro- Hungarians, and I Portuguese. Amongst the British subjects in
the late summer of 1896 there were 119 Scotch, 123 English and Welsh,
7 Irish, 2 Australians, 23 South Africans, I Anglo-Indian, and 3 Eurasians.
1 he number of Indians has risen from nil to 263, of whom 56 were Indian
traders. All these Indians, with the exception of 14 who were natives of
Portuguese India, were British-Indian subjects.
The total amount of trade done with British Central Africa in 1891, so far
as I could calculate from information supplied by the African Lakes Company,
THE ZOMBA-MLANJE ROAD
was £39,965 in value. In April, 1896, the year's trade was computed at
£102,428. The export of coffee in 1891 amounted to at most a few pounds.
It is computed that in 1896 320 tons were shipped home from British Central
Africa, and much of this coffee attained the very high prices of 113^. od. and
1 15^-. od. a c\vt.
In 1891 there were four British steamers- on the Zambezi and Lower Shire
(besides one steam launch owned by Mr. Sharrer), two of which were gunboats
belonging to Her Majesty's Xavy. There are now seventeen British steamers
on the Zambezi and the Shire, and forty-six cargo boats mostly built of steel,
besides innumerable small wooden boats and large cargo, canoes. On Lake
Xyasa and the Upper Shire the number of steamers has increased from three in
1891 to six in 1896, in addition to which there are several large sailing beats
1 At the date of the publication of this book the number of Kuropeuns in the ProUi!oratt- amount-;
to 315.
'2 In the twelve month* from the 1st of January, 1895, lo tr>e 3lsl December, 1895, 109 steamers, 360
barges, 169 boats, and 178 large canoes entered and discharged at the UritMi port al riiimmo on the
Lower Shire.
148 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
and cargo barges. The captured daus it may be noted have been repaired by
us and are now plying in the service of the Government.
There was of course no postal service in 1891, and letters were generally sent
through the African Lakes Company to the Vice-Consul at Quelimane together
with money for postage stamps, and this official stamped the letters with
Portuguese stamps, and sent them home from the Portuguese Post Office.
We commenced to establish a postal service in July, 1891. There are now
eighteen Post Offices in the Protectorate, and five in the British South
Africa Company's sphere, while our postal service extends from Chinde at
the mouth of the Zambezi to Tanganyika, Mweru, and the Congo Free State.
A FOOTBRIDGE ACROSS THE MLUNOUSI (ZOMKA)
In the month of November, 1895, which was taken as an average month,
the total number of articles carried by our postal service in the Protectorate,
including letters, postcards, book packets, newspapers, and parcels, inwards and
outwards, was 29,802 as compared with 25,592 in November, 1894, and 19,383
in November, 1893. Besides this we carry the mails of the German Government
from Lake Nyasa to Chinde.1 Our parcel-post service was started in 1893
and has been extended to the South African Colonies and England and
to Zanzibar and Aden and India. A money order system has just been
established.
Want of funds in 1894 compelled us to adopt a rather cheap and inferior
1 In return fur which the (iennan subsidized steamers carry our correspondence between Chinde
and Zanzibar
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 149
issue of stamps, but by a grant from the Treasury we have now been able
to have a thoroughly satisfactory issue engraved by Messrs. De La Rue.
The design of the stamps is that of the Coat of Arms of the Protectorate.
Their values are id., 2d., 4^., 6d., is., 2s. 6d., $s., 45., £i, £10. They are used
alike in the collection of revenue as in the payment of postal charges.
At Chinde on the British Concession there is a Post Office of Exchange,
at which mails are landed from or transferred to the ocean-going steamers.
Letters or other material arriving from the outer world at Chinde are sorted
at this Post Office of Exchange into bags for the various postal districts in
British Central Africa, and into bags for the German territories and for the
Congo Free State, and are then shipped up river by the various steamers plying
between Chinde and Chiromo. At Chiromo the bags are sent overland to the
different Post Offices of distribution between the Lower Shire and Lake Nyasa,
being carried by native postmen who wear a special uniform of scarlet and
white. These men travel at the rate of 25 miles a day, and are wonderfully
faithful and careful in the delivery of their precious charges. Cases have been
known where postal carriers have been drowned in the crossing of flooded
rivers by their obstinacy in not parting from their mail bags, and where they
have fought bravely and successfully against odds in an attack by highway
robbers. The negro of Central Africa has a genuine respect for the written
word. Of course the time will come when attendant on the growth of civiliza-
tion, native postmen will probably commit robberies of registered letters, as is
occasionally done by their European colleagues; but at the present time our
mails are perfectly safe in their hands.
In 1891 there was about one mile of road — that between the Mission station
at Blantyre and the African Lakes Company's store — over which a vehicle could
be driven. By the end of 1896 we had constructed some 390 l miles of roads
suited for wheeled traffic, while another 80 miles of broad paths have been
cleared through the bush for the passage of porters and " machillas."-
Attempts in great part successful have been made to improve the naviga-
bility of the Shire by removing the snags from the approaches to Chiromo, and
the sharp stones from the Nsapa Rapids on the Upper Shire ; and by deepening
the bar at the entrance to Lake Nyasa. Last, and not least, the Slave trade,
and it may almost be added the status of Slavery, have been brought absolutely
to an end. Between 1891 and 1894, 86 1 slaves were released by various
officials of the Protectorate, and between 1894 and 1896, 1700. Native labour
is now organised in such a way as to protect the interests of both the white
man and the negro.
1600 acres of land were under cultivation at the hands of Europeans in
1891, as against 5700 acres in 1896.
In 1891 no coin was in circulation in the country, except to a very limited
extent amongst Europeans. Transactions with natives were carried on by
means of the barter of trade goods. In the three following years the use of
English coinage was introduced by the Administration. We imported several
thousand pounds' worth of gold, silver and copper coins from the Royal Mint,
and put them in circulation amongst the natives who immediately took to the
1 i.e., Katunga to Blantyre, Blantyre to Zomba, Zomba to Fort Liwonde (ria Pomasi), Zomba to Fort
Lister, and thence round Mlanje to Fort Anderson, Fort Anderson to Chiromo, Chiromo to Chiradzulu
and Ntonda, Blantyre to Cholo. Karonga to the Nyasa-Tanganyika Plateau, and short roads in the
Blantyre, Zomba, South Xyasa, Central Angoniland and Marimba districts.
3 A " machilla " it must be remembered is a hammock or wicker-work couch slung on a pole.
i5o
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
new system. In these efforts we were effectively seconded by the African
Lakes Company which established a Banking Company, with its main office
at Blantyre and branches at Chinde and Fort Johnston. Native wages are now
paid in cash, and the Administration receives most of the native taxes in cash,
though produce is still accepted in payment of taxes in the outlying districts.
Finally, it may be stated that the local revenue raised from Customs Duties,
Stamp Duties, and Native Taxes, which in the year ended March 3ist, 1892,
was only £1700 in value, was in the year ended March 3ist, 1896, over
^"22,000.
THE (1ARDENS OF THE RESIDENCY, ZOMBA
Attempts, in some degree successful, have been made to check the indis-
criminate slaughter of the elephant, rhinoceros, and gnu,1 and this protection
has now been accorded to the zebra, wild swine, buffalo, and most of the rare
or more beautiful African antelopes. Two game reserves for the breeding
of these animals unmolested by any attacks from man have been formed, and
regulations for the protection of wild game were drawn up by the Foreign
Office early in the present year (these will be found in an Appendix to
Chapter IX.).
Some mention should be made of the excellent work done by Mr. Alexander
Whyte, F.Z.S., the head of our scientific department. He discovered on Mount
Mlanje that most interesting conifer the Widdringtonia \Vhytci — discovered
1 The same restrictions also apply to the giraffe, but the giraffe is of very doubtful existence in British
Central Africa.
FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 151
it just in time to save it from extinction at the hands of the natives who
would every year ignite bush-fires on the upper parts of Mlanje, which were
rapidly destroying this valuable tree. Successful efforts have now been made
to replant other districts with the Widdringtonia, the seed of which has also
been introduced into England, where it is now cultivated at Kew Gardens
and at the establishments of one or two leading horticulturists. Mr. Whyte,
with the co-operation of many officials in the B.C. A. Administration has made
remarkable zoological and botanical collections which have enriched our national
and provincial museums. (Some idea of the work we have done in this respect
may be obtained by glancing at the Appendices to Chapters VIII. and IX.)
Mr. \Vhyte laid the foundations of a Botanical Garden at Zomba, and has
distributed amongst the planters seeds and plants which he has introduced
on behalf of the Administration, or obtained from Kew. The authorities
at Kew Gardens have from time to time sent out Wardian cases containing
varieties and species of coffee, of bananas, of vanilla, and of a great many
other useful and beautiful trees, shrubs, and plants suited to cultivation in a
tropical country.
Coal has been discovered by our officials in various districts, and specimens
have been sent home for analysis.
MR. \VHYTK IN TIIK HARDENS AT ZOMBA
152 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
APPENDIX I
THE PRESENT METHOD OF ADMINISTERING BRITISH
CENTRAL AFRICA
i CHAPTER IV. may be usefully supplemented by a brief statement of the present
methods of administration.
There are the following Civilian officials : —
H.M. Commissioner and Consul-General :
H.M. Deputy Commissioner and Consul :
A Vice-Consul and Agent of the British Central Africa Administration at Chinde :
An Assistant Agent and Head Postmaster at the same place :
A Vice-Consul at Blantyre, and another at Fort Johnston :
A Secretary to the Administration ; an Assistant Secretary and 2 clerks :
A Judicial Officer at Blantyre, who is at the head of the Judicial Establishment :
A Chief Accountant ; 3 other Accountants ; a Store-keeper and Commissariat
Officer ; an Assistant ditto and a native assistant ditto ; a local Auditor :
A Postmaster General ; a head of the Scientific Department (Mr. Alexander
Whyte) ; an Assistant and Forester in the same department :
A Principal Medical Officer, and 2 other medical officers :
A First Surveyor (European); 3 other Surveyors (Indian, lent by the Indian Govern-
ment) ; a Superintendent of Road-making, and two Assistant Superintendents :
A Superintendent of Public Works, with a European assistant and 6 Indian artisans :
1 2 Collectors, 8 of whom hold Judicial Warrants :
15 Assistant Collectors.
Most of the Collectors and Assistant Collectors hold in addition the office of Post-
master. There are further, besides the Postmaster-General at Blantyre, and the Head
Postmaster at Chinde, 2 special Postmasters at Blantyre and at Zomba.
The Armed Forces consist of the following officers and men :—
A Commandant (Lieut. -Colonel C A. Edwards) :
Second-in-Command and Staff Officer ; Third Officer and Quarter-Master :
Accountant, Clerk, Sergeant-Major of Artillery, and Transport Officer, and 2 Indian
clerks.
(The foregoing are specially attached to the Indian Contingent, though their control
extends to the rest of the armed forces.)
In the Contingent of Native troops there are : —
6 British Officers; 2 native Sergeant-Majors ; and a number of Police Corporals and
Interpreters.
The troops consist of
1 80 Sikhs, with 20 followers and 2 Indian hospital assistants, and about 1,000
native soldiers, armed porters and policemen.
APPENDIX
'53
The Naval Service consists of a
Commandant (Commander Percy Cullen, R.N.R.) and
3 other Naval Officers, all of whom are chosen from the Royal Naval Reserve ; and
4 Warrant Officers, who are pensioners in the Royal Navy ;
A Chief Engineer, and 4 other engineers ;
4 Indian Artificers ;
Other European carpenters, clerks, store-keepers, £c. ; and about
80 " Sidi Boys," or native seamen.
BARRACKS AT KORT JOII.N>Tn.\
There are at present in the service of the Protectorate on the Upper Shire and on
Lake Nyasa, 3 gunboats, i barge, 5 steel boats, and 2 daus (Arab sailing vessels). The
war vessels are well armed with suitable guns. A new gunboat of considerable si/c is
being built for service on Lake Nyasa, and should be launched at the beginning of 1898.
The most important "item" in the service of the Protectorate is probably the
Collector." This official superintends the collection of Customs Duties, the assessment
and levying of native taxes ; he directs the Civil police in his district ; administers justice
to Europeans and between Europeans and natives where he holds a Warrant from the
Secretary of State to act as a judicial officer ; superintends the administration of native
justice ; and acts generally as political officer and Tribune of the people. In all Civil
matters he is supreme in his District, and only subordinate to the Commissioner. In
many cases he is also responsible for the conduct of the postal service. If he possesses
a great deal of power he is at the same time almost invariably an overworked individual,
with many cares and responsibilities on his shoulders.
Justice is administered to British subjects and other Europeans and foreigners under
154
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the Africa Orders in Council of 1891 and 1893 ; and to the natives by such native chiefs
as are authorised to hold Courts of Justice ; or more ordinarily by the judicial officers in
the district, acting in the name and by the authority of the native chiefs. Capital
punishment on Europeans can only be carried out after the Minutes of the Trial have
been submitted to a Supreme Court a which revises the sentence, and if it is confirmed
sanctions the execution. Capital sentences on natives of the Protectorate, imposed by
the native Court, cannot be carried out until they have received the sanction of the
Commissioner of Zomba, to whom Minutes of the case are submitted 2 by a provision
under the Africa Orders in Council. Additional laws, governing the Protectorate and
the Sphere of Influence, can be made by the issue of "Queen's Regulations," which,
after receiving the assent of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, are promulgated
by the Commissioner for British Central Africa. Special legislation of this kind is chiefly
directed to the establishment of Customs Duties and Taxation, to the protection of Big
Game, to the regulation of native labour and of navigation on the rivers and lakes.
These Regulations and other announcements of a Governmental kind are published
in the British Central Africa Gazette, which is the official organ 'of the Administration
and appears fortnightly, issued by the Government Press at Zomba.3
Government land is sold by public auction, and its upset price at present varies from
2S. 6d. to $s. od. an acre.
There is a central Hospital at Zomba for the treatment of the European servants of
the Administration, and a native hospital.
For Administrative purposes the Protectorate is divided into the following districts: —
Lower Shire (Capital, Port Herald).
Ruo (Capital, Chiromo).
Mlanje (Capital, Fort Anderson).
Zomba (Capital, Zomba).
Blantyre (Capital, Blantyre).
West Shire (Capital, Chikwawa).
Upper Shire (Capital, Liwonde).
South Nyasa (Capital, Fort Johnston).
Central Angoniland (Capital,4 Tambala).
Marimba (Capital, Kotakota).
West Nyasa (Capital, Nkata).
North Nyasa (Capital, Karonga).
1 Which at present is the High Court of Cape Colony.
" There have only been four executions for murder amongst the natives since 1891. One was
the execution of a native of Kotakota. who killed a Makua soldier ; the second, the execution of Mlozi ;
the third, the execution of Saidi Mwa/.ungu, who killed Dr. Boyce and Mr. .McKwan ; and the fourth the
execution of the Angoni Chief, Chikusi.
•' Where there are i European superintendent and 6 native printers.
' It is probable that the capital will be removed to Chiwere.
. ZOMBA
ifik/ t* h
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V ',
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CHAPTER V.
THE SLAVE TRADE
IN regard to the slave trade, a few words of explanation and description may
be of interest. Slavery has probably existed among mankind from time
immemorial, and no doubt one race of negroes enslaved another ages before
the ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians introduced the slave trade, by which is
meant the deliberate expatriation of negroes to countries beyond the sea, or to
parts of Africa not inhabited by the negro race. But the horrors of the slave
trade are attributable, firstly to Europeans, and secondly to Arabs.
The English, Spanish, Portuguese and French had commenced trafficking in
negro slaves from the West Coast of Africa when that coast became opened up
to geographical knowledge in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the
sixteenth century organised attempts were made to replace the disappearing
aborigines of the West Indies by negro slaves ; then came the introduction of
negroes into the southern States of North America. At first the trade was
confined to the West Coast but the Portuguese commenced to export slaves
from East Africa in the seventeenth century, and thenceforward a mighty slave
trade sprang up in the valley of the Zambezi which is not yet extinct, although
several measures for its abolition have been taken by the Portuguese Govern-
ment during the present century.
Maskat Arabs who warred with the Portuguese in East Africa and gradually
supplanted them in all the settlements between Aden and the Ruvuma River,
organised a brisk traffic to supply the markets of the East with black concubines,
black eunuchs, and strong-armed willing workers.
Slaves thus became indispensable to Arabia, Egypt, Mesopotamia and
Persia, and Abyssinian slaves were even introduced in numbers to the West
Coast of India where they were turned into fighting men or into regular castes
of seamen.1
The Moors of Northern Africa, however, had almost shown the way in the
matter of the slave trade to the nations of Western Europe by developing an
active intercourse with the regions of the Nigerian Sudan, so that all Northern
Africa was abundantly supplied with a caste of negro workers while negro
blood mingled freely in many of the Arab and Berber tribes.
^ The worst horrors of the slave trade were probably the miseries endured by
the closely-packed negroes on slave ships, where from want of ventilation and of
such treatment as would nowadays be accorded as a duty to cargoes of beasts,
they endured untold miseries and developed strange maladies.^ Moreover, to
1 Curiously enough some of these slaves revolted and formed communities of their own in Western
India, now recognised by the Imperial Government as small tributary States under negroid rulers of
Abyssinian descent.
155
i56
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
supply the slave market in America incessant civil war was raging amongst the
coast tribes of West Africa. But the Arabs of East-Central Africa have run us
hard in the matter of wickedness. I do not need to recapitulate the horrors of
slave raids and the miseries of slave caravans : they are graphically described
by Livingstone.1
The Arabs of Maskat from the Zanzibar coast and the half-breed Portuguese
from the Zambezi joined together to devastate what is now called British Central
Africa.
The slaves from the Senga and Bisa countries in the Luangwa valley and
from much of Southern Nyasaland found their way to Tete on the Zambezi, and
thence to Quelimane and Mozambique, where
they were picked up by American ships as
late as the beginning of the " sixties." Some
of these ships eluded the British gunboats ;
others were captured and taken to Sierra
Leone. Here, strange to say, many inhabitants
of Nyasaland and of the countries as far west
as the Lualaba, were landed in the " forties "
and " fifties " of this century, and were ex-
amined as to their languages by Mr. Koelle,
a German missionary of great learning, who,
in his Polyglotta Africana, produced one of
the finest books ever written on the subject
of African languages. Long before the
existence of Lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika
were known to Europe, Mr. Koelle, of Sierra
Leone, was writing down the vocabularies
and languages spoken on the shores of those
lakes, gathered from slaves that had come
from Mozambique and Quelimane.
In between Mozambique and Quelimane
the Arabs still retain to this day a hold on
certain little-known ports, such as Angoche
and Moma. From these points slaves from Eastern Nyasaland were shipped
to Madagascar, which until its recent conquest by the French was another
profitable market for slaves. In addition, the Matabele Zulus, who had surged
back into South-Central Africa from Zululand at the beginning of this century
raided across the Zambezi for slaves, and slave-raiding was also carried on by
the Basuto who. under the name of the Makololo, conquered the Barutse
kingdom. From the middle of the i8th to near the end of the igth century
British Central Africa has been devastated by the slave trade. Whole tribes
have been cut up and scattered ; vast districts depopulated ; arts and crafts
and useful customs have been forgotten in the flight before the slave -raiders.
The whole country was kept in a state of incessant turmoil by the attempt
to supply the slave markets of the Zambezi, of Madagascar, of the United
States, of Zanzibar, Arabia, Persia, and Turkey.
A great blow was dealt to this trade by the conclusion of the American
Civil War and the abolition of slavery. This and the Emancipation of Slaves
first in the West Indies and subsequently in Brazil, brought the West African
1 I have attempted also to give descriptions based on a good deal of personal observation as well as
on much reading in my book, The History of a Slave.
A SWAHII.I SLAVE-TRADER
THE SLAVE TRADE
J57
slave trade to a close and largely diminished the source of profit in the
South -East African slave trade; for American ships came no longer to the
Mozambique coast to take away cargoes of slaves and to evade the British
cruisers. Then the Portuguese awoke to a sense of duty and a series of edicts
made slavery very difficult and the slave trade practically impossible in all the
settled portions of Portuguese East Africa. But the Eastern market always
ARAB AN'H SWAHII.I SI.AYI-X1 K Al >KRS, rAl'Tl'REH HV THK ]
remained open and the Arabs- carried their slaving enterprise farther and
farther into the heart of British Central Africa. They had enlisted on their
side powerful tribes like the Wa-yao, the Wa-nyamwezi, the Awemba, and the
Angoni Zulus. Dr. Livingstone, however, appeared on the scene and his appeals
to the British public gradually drew our attention to the slave trade in Eastern
Central Africa until, as the direct result of Livingstone's work, slavery and the
slave trade are now at an end within the British Central Africa Protectorate,
and are fast disappearing in the regions beyond under the South Africa
,58
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Company ; and the abolition of slavery at Zanzibar will shortly be decreed as
a final triumph to Livingstone's appeal.
The attitude of our Administration in British Central Africa towards the
status of slavery has been this : we have never recognised
it, but where slavery existed without its being forced on
our notice through an attempt to carry on the slave trade,
or through unkindness to the slaves, we have not actually
interfered to abolish the status. But if ever a slave has
run away from a district not administered by us to a more
settled portion of the Protectorate, we have always refused
to surrender him. If the slave was a female and it could
be shown that she was a wife or concubine of the man who
owned her or that he had inflicted no unkindness she was
usually given back upon a promise of immunity from
punishment. When a district from various causes has
come under our our immediate administration we have
always informed the slaves that they were not slaves and
that they were free to go and do what they pleased as long
as they did not break the law. But it has rarely happened
that the slaves of a chief who were well treated have chosen
to quit their masters ; therefore, being free to do as they
liked, if they chose to remain and work as slaves nobody
interfered to prevent their doing so. The slave trade — still
more slave-raiding — has always been punished, and it may
be safely stated that such a thing does not now exist in the
Protectorate, though it is still carried on in such districts as
are not wholly under the control of the British South
Africa Company ; while Mpezeni alone among the uncon-
quered Angoni chiefs raids- the countries round his settle-
ments and apparently adds his slaves to the population of
his kingdom, or sells them to the Arabs on the Luangwa.
The hardships of the slave trade were these : — Homes
were broken up, a large number of men, women and little
children were collected together and dispatched on a many-
hundred-mile journey overland to the coast, on which they
often had to carry heavy burdens Their slave-sticks l were
no light weight, and they were ill-fed and provided with no
clothing to shield them from the cold or wet in mountainous
regions. If they lagged by the way or lay down, worn
out with exhaustion, their throats were cut or they were shot. Often before
reaching the coast the Arabs would stop at some settlement and roughly
castrate a number of the young boys so that they might be sold as eunuchs.
Some died straightway from the operation, others lingered a little longer and
1 The slave-stick in most of the languages of East-Central Africa is called gori, goli, or li-goli. It
consists usually of a young tree lopped off near the ground and again cut where it divides into two
branches. The ends of these two branches are left sufficiently long to enclose the neck of the slave.
Their ends are then united by an iron pin which is driven through a hole drilled in the wood and
hammered over on either side.
The thick end of the gori-stick is usually fastened to a tree at night time when the caravan is resting,
though sometimes it is merely left on the ground as the weight of the stick would make escape nearly
impossible, especially as stubborn slaves have their hands tied behind the back. When the slaves are
engaged in any work the end of the gori-stick is sufficiently supported to enable them to bear its weight
and yet perform the task allotu-d to them. Except in the case of children, on whom no stick is placed,
A " (PuGA-RUGA
(MNYAMWEZI)
Slave-raider employed by Arab
THE SLAVE TRADE i59
eventually perished from hernia induced by this operation. Those who survived
usually had an extremely comfortable and prosperous after-life in the harem
of some Turk, Arab or Persian. The mortality amongst the children was
terrible: the Arab slave-drivers do not appear to have been actuated by motives
of commercial expediency in endeavouring to land as many live and healthy
slaves on the coast as possible. They seem on the contrary to have been
inspired by something more like devilish cruelty at times in the reckless way
in which they would expose their slaves to suffering and exhaustion, and then
barbarously kill them.1
as they are sure to follow their mothers or friends, or of comely young women who are the temporary
concubines of the slave-drivers, and who, with the facile nature of the negro, rapidly become attached
to their brutal husbands— all slaves are usually loaded with this terrible weight. Nevertheless escape
does sometimes take place. Most slaves must of necessity have their hands free when on the march
especially if they are to support the weight of the gori-stick. They then often manage to secrete a knife
>r razor, or some sharp substance with which during the night they will attempt to saw through one
the branches of the stick round the neck. They are then able to twist the iron pin round and release
their necks from the burden. To escape in a strange country is impossible, and the attempt is invariably
followed by a return to slavery in some shape or form. As a rule when the journey to the coast is half
done the slaves are sufficiently to be depended upon for docility to be able to travel without the slave-
stick.
1 Much of my information about slavery was derived from an interesting man, several years in my
service, who was originally a native of the east coast of Lake Xvasa, and had been sent as a slave to the
coast with an Arab caravan when he was about twelve years old. The slaves whom he accompanied
were captured by a British cruiser. This boy was taken to Zanzibar and set free, was educated at the
Universities Mission, and became the servant of a succession of Admirals on the East Coast Station
ending up with Admiral Hewett ; after whose death he passed into my service, and was, until his recent
death, the principal servant at the Consulate at Mo9ambique.
CHAPTER VI.
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
AS mentioned in a preceding chapter, there were 345 Europeans at the
end of the year 1896 settled in the eastern part of British Central Africa,
of whom about thirty were non-British subjects. These Europeans are
divisible into four classes — officials, missionaries, planters and traders.
The missionaries and their work will be dealt with in Chapter VII. The
officials have been referred to in the Appendix to a preceding chapter ; there
remain therefore the planters and traders to be now considered.
The planters come from very much the same class which furnishes the coffee
planters of Ceylon, India, Fiji, and Tropical America. They are most of them
decent young fellows of good physique and good education, who, possessed
of a small capital, desire to embark on a life which shall combine a profitable
investment for their money, with no great need for elaborate technical education,
and an open-air life in a wild country with plenty of good sport, and few or
none of the restraints of civilisation. One of our planters can look back on
something like twenty-two years' experience of British Central Africa, another
on eighteen years' experience, a third ten, a fourth nine; but most of the
men did not arrive in the country before 1890 or 1891. The planters now
probably number nearly 100. The chief thing grown is coffee; but tea
has been started on two estates (on one of which it has been growing for
about six years;, and on others cinchona and ceara rubber, cotton and
tobacco are cultivated. Some planters go in a great deal for cattle keeping
and breeding.1
The coffee plant was originally introduced into British Central Africa by
Mr. Jonathan Duncan, a horticulturist in the service of the Church of Scotland
Mission, but the idea owes its inception to the late Mr. JoTm Buchanan, C.M.G.,
who was at the time also in the service of the Church of Scotland Mission, -
1 During the past two or three years the use of cattle by the European settlers in the Protectorate
lia> greatly increased. When I first came to British Central Africa in 1889 no one except at two or three
mission stations and at the African Lakes Company's establishments at Mandala and at Karonga kept any
cattle. A few native chiefs had herds of 20 or 30 beasts hidden away in the mountains, afraid to avow
their existence in case they should be raided by the Angoni or the Yao. At the north end of the lake
the Wankonde had enormous herds, as was the case with the Angoni in the west of the Protectorate, but
no one came forward to trade in cattle and distribute oxen among the Europeans in the Shire Highlands.
All thih is now changed. Many Europeans have been up into the Angoni country, and certain Adminis-
tration officials have interested themselves in the introduction of cattle into the Shire province. The
price of milch cows now stands at a little more than t\\o or three pounds a head, while oxen may fetch as
little as I5/. each. The chief inducement in keeping cattle is to use the manure for the coftee plantations,
but of course the supply of milk and butter is a valuable adjunct to health.
- Which he joined as a lay member specially in charge of horticultural work in 1876.
1 60
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
161
and who on his arrival at Blantyre had arranged with the curator of the
Botanical Gardens at Edinburgh for the sending out of coffee plants.
Three small coffee plants of the Mocha variety (Coffcca Arabica) which
were leading a sickly existence at Edinburgh were entrusted to Mr. Duncan to
transport to Blantyre. Two of these plants died on the voyage, the third
survived and was planted in the Blantyre Mission gardens, where until quite
recently it was still living. Two years after it was thus replanted it bore a
crop of about IOOO beans which were all planted, and from which 400 seedlings
were eventually reared. In 1883, 14^ cwts. of coffee was gathered from these
young trees. Mr. Henry Henderson of the Blantyre Mission brought out a
small supply of Liberian coffee seed in 1887; but this variety has never met
with much success in British Central Africa, as it will not grow well on the
hills, though it answers well in the plains. Moreover, it does not fetch nearly
such good prices as the small Mocha bean. Later on varieties of Jamaica
coffee were introduced by the Moir Brothers whilst managers of the African
THE CONSULATE. KI.ANTYRE
Lakes Company at Mandala. The " blue mountain " variety of Jamaica has
succeeded very well in the Shire Highlands, and to a less extent the "orange"
coffee in the same locality has prospered. Still the bulk of the coffee trees
now existing in this Protectorate owe their origin to the one surviving coffee
plant introduced from the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. It may therefore
be said without much exaggeration that it is Scotch coffee which is the staple
growth of British Central Africa.
Owing to the troubles which broke out in the Church of Scotland
Mission (briefly referred to in a previous chapter), much of the Society's
work in connection with planting was suspended, though not before it had
introduced coffee into the Zomba district through Mr. Buchanan ; but when
Mr. Buchanan left the Mission in 1880 he determined to establish himself
independently as a coffee planter. For years he and his brothers -(who
eventually joined him) struggled on with a very limited capital, having
almost insuperable difficulties to contend with in the shape of recalcitrant chiefs,
ill-health, and invasions of the Angoni, which drove away all their native labour.
They remained however without any rivals in the field until Mr. Eugene
Sharrer, a British subject of German origin, arrived at Blantyre in 1889, bought
land and started coffee planting. The Lakes Company also commenced
162
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
planting about the same time, but the shipments of the Buchanan Brothers had
already established the fact that coffee of the very best quality could be grown
in British Central Africa. Moreover, the labour difficulty was being gradually
solved. When the natives around the infant settlements of Blantyre and
Zomba were convinced that the white men would pay fairly for their labour,
they began to come in increasing numbers to work in the plantations, and
strangest of all, the warlike Angoni came down with their slaves, not to raid
and ravage as before, but to obtain
employment for three or four months
in the year in the coffee plantations.
The total amount of coffee ex-
ported from this Protectorate in 1896
was 320 tons. This coffee was sold
in London at prices ranging between
99-r. and 1 1 5.$-. per cwt., much of it
fetching prices over 100 shillings.
The lowest price ever fetched by
British Central Africa coffee was 86s.
per cwt.
The coffee undoubtedly varies
according to the amount of rainfall,
the fertility of the soil, and the manner
in which it is plucked, pulped, dried
and packed. Manure and shade1 seem
to be absolutely necessary to complete
success. Artificial manures are now
being imported, and as already stated
cattle are kept in increasing quantities
so that their dung may be used for
the coffee plantations, and guano
has recently been discovered on the
islands of Lake Nyasa, which will
prove very useful. It is also necessary
that the plantations shall be scru-
pulously weeded. When the soil is
fertile, and all these conditions of manure, shade and weeding have been fulfilled,
a yield of as much as 17 cwt. per acre has been taken. On the other hand, in
much neglected gardens no more than 50 or 60 Ibs. per acre has been realised.
The average yield in the plantations is 3^ cwt. per acre, though it is the opinion
of experts that this yield would be greatly increased if more care was shown
in the cultivation of the coffee.
In some years of poor rainfall or where the first rains have fallen early,
and have brought coffee prematurely into blossom leaving the newly-formed
seed to suffer from the subsequent drought, the berry grows diseased or the
husk is found to be empty with no kernels at all inside. Some people are of
opinion that this empty husk or diseased berry is caused by the presence
of a small beetle. Others assert that it is the result of a plague of green
1 To attain this end, I believe, in new plantations for every two coffee shrubs inserted in the ground
one African fig tree is planted. Thts_- splendid wild fig trees grow to a great height and give absolute
shade. They also serve to protect the coffee trees from being wind blown or seared by the hot air coming
off the plains in the dry season.
A COFFEE TREE IN BEARING
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
163
bugs which suck the sap of the coffee tree. All are agreed, however, that
the only preventative of the defective berry is plenty of shade and manure.
A system of "topping"1 has now been almost universally adopted, though
perhaps not to the same extent to which it is carried on in Ceylon and India,
for it is difficult to train immediately a sufficient staff of natives who will handle
and prune the coffee in a proper manner ; and careless topping does more harm
than good. The effect of the soil of this Protectorate on the coffee shrub
is apparently to bring it into bearing at three years of age or under, and to
cause it in its second crop to exhaust its vitality, if it be not previously pruned.
Left to itself the coffee shrub in this main or second crop would give an
enormous yield from the primary shoots and as a result of this exhaustion
no secondary branches would be developed from which the next year's crop
would come; consequently instead of bearing year after year for something
like fourteen years the coffee shrubs would be useless when four or five years
old. The coffee tree generally blossoms during the dry season in the months
of September and October, especially if a few showers of rain fall, as they
often do at this time of the year. The berries are usually ripe and ready for
picking at the end of June.
In my report to the Foreign Office on the trade of British Central Africa
during 1895 and 1896 I have estimated that a planter requires a capital of
about ,£1000 for the upkeep and bringing into bearing of 100 acres of coffee.
This sum should purchase an estate of say 500 acres and provide for the cost of
clearing it, obtaining coffee seedlings and planting them, and building a fairly
comfortable house, and of meeting the expense of the planter's living on a
moderate scale during the three years. It would not, however, provide for the
erection of a substantial brick house,
nor of the pulping vats, and special
machinery for pulping. With this he
would have gradually to supplyhimself
out of the profits his plantation would
make after the first three years. Per-
haps it may enable my readers to
obtain a clear idea of the average
experience of a young coffee planter ;
what difficulties he has to face ; what
are the chances of success — what in
fact any reader of my book who
intends to become a coffee planter
in British Central Africa would have
to undergo — if I give here extracts
from the imaginary letters of a typical
planter, so far as my imagination will
enable me to enter into the mind of A, B, C, or D, and reveal their thoughts
and the impressions which are made on them by what they see and feel.
"BALBROCHAN, AYRSHIRE, SCOTLAND.
" DEAR FRED, — As I have failed in my last chance for the army, the governor has
decided that I am to go coffee planting somewhere in Central Africa. He has heard all
about it from old Major McClear, who it appears has gone out there with his son (he is
a widower you know) and is going to supplement his pension by making money out of
1 "Topping" means cutting about four inches off the top of the tree, so as to throw it hack and
cause the secondary branches to develop and come into bearing.
A PLANTER S TEMPORARY HOUSE
164
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
coffee. You see, as I have failed finally to pass my exams for the army, I must not be
too particular, as there are younger brothers and sisters to be educated and put out
in the world, and my father is not over well off; besides, I hear there is capital sport,
and the climate is not so bad though one gets a touch of fever every now and then.
The governor can only afford ^1000 to start me, and I am going to do my best
not to cost him another penny before I am self-supporting. ... I think the country
is called the British Central Africa Protectorate; it is close to Lake Nyasa, and is
about 300 or 400 miles inland from the east coast. I am getting my equipment ready,
and shall leave on the ist of May by the Edinburgh Castle for Durban, where I change
into the " Rennie " boat lnditna, and so travel up the east coast to a place called Chinde
which is at the mouth of the Zambezi. Here I change into the river steamer, and
travel up the Zambezi and the Shire, and so on to Blantyre where I shall stay with
the McClears and look about me. ... As to equipment,1 I am not taking very much
as I am told that most things can be got fairly good and cheap out there, and it saves
one the bother of a lot of luggage, and the risk of loading yourself with things that you
don't want. I shall simply take along with me all my old clothes and a dress-suit in case
there is any 'society.' Of course I am taking guns— a doubled-barrelled i2-bore shot
gun, and an express rifle. I have been strongly advised not to take a helmet, as
it is said to be a ridiculous kind of headgear for Central Africa, where one requires
something like a light Terai hat, and where it appears you should always carry a white
cotton umbrella when the sun shines. The helmet is cumbersome and ugly and does
not shield the body from the sun. It seems from what I can gather that a chap gets far
sicker from the effect of the sun on his body than on his head, and that the best way
to avoid sun fever and sunstroke is to carry an umbrella wherever one goes. I shall
take a good saddle with me and riding gear, as most of the people in the Shire
Highlands (the name of the coffee district) ride about on ponies. I think as I pass
through Durban I shall invest in a Basuto pony (they are said to be the best for the
purpose) and take him along' with me up to Blantyre. I hear they are very cheap
at Durban, about £$ will buy a good one, and it only comes altogether to about ^25 or
£26 to convey the little beast up river to a place called Katunga, and there you get on
his back and ride up to Blantyre. I shall also take out my bicycle as some of the roads
are fit for cycling. Nearly everything else can be got on the spot, but my mother
insists on giving me a small medicine chest, so that I can dose myself with quinine and
other things if there is no doctor handy. I shall also take out a small photographic
camera and plenty of books.
" And now good-bye for a bit in case I don't see you again, but as soon as I get out
there I will write and let you know what it is like."
" CHIROMO, BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA, June \2th.
"DEAR FRED, — I am now in British Central Africa, and before I get any further into
the country as I have a day or two to spare here I will give you an account of what my
journey was like.
"I managed to get my pony all right in Durban through Messrs. and - — ,
who seem to be universal providers in that city. I had to give £9 for him but he is an
extra good little beast. We changed into the Indnna at this place. She was very
crowded and therefore not very comfortable, but the journey to Chinde only occupied
five days as we ran through direct.
" Chinde, you know, is one of the mouths of the Zambezi, and the only one which has
a bar that can be crossed without risk by a well-navigated steamer. The Indnna crossed
the bar all right and landed us on the British Concession, a piece of land which was
granted by the Portuguese Government for the use of the British Central Africa
Protectorate so that goods can be transhipped here from the ocean-going steamers
1 vide Appendix II., p. 185.— H. H. J.
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS 165
into the river boats. I did not stay on the Concession, however, but on a place
called the Extra Concession which has no privileges regarding exemptions from Customs
dues I put up at an hotel which is run by - — . Of course everything seems very
rough to me who have never been farther away than Switzerland before, but fellows
here tell me that Chinde is simply luxurious to what it was a few years ago. In
1890 it was practically unknown to Europeans, and there was not even a hut on the
present sandspit, which is the site of the town — everything was covered with thick
bush ; now, although the place is horribly ugly, being built almost entirely of corrugated
iron, it is fairly neat and clean. Most of the houses are of one story, but 's hotel
is not half a bad place, a sort of bungalow built of iron and wood with broad shady
verandahs. The food is anything but good, however, as fresh provisions are scarce and
most of the things we eat come out of tins.
" Chinde is a great peninsula of sand intersected with marshy tracts, which projects
into the Indian Ocean, having the sea on one side and the Chinde mouth of the Zambezi
on the other.
* * * * * -h * *
"Two days after our arrival at Chinde we started in the Lakes Company's steamer, the
James Stevenson, which conveyed us up river as far as Chiromo. After leaving Chinde
we pursued a tortuous course up the Chinde River till we got into the main Zambezi.
Here the country was very uninteresting. The Zambezi is extremely broad and you are
never sure whether you are looking at the opposite bank or a chain of long flat islands.
Islands and shore are equally covered at this season of the year by grass of tremendous
height, and except an occasional fan-palm you see nothing behind the grass. Hippos
are very scarce and shy now owing to the way they have been shot at. Occasionally
however you see little black dots at a distance, and if you are looking through glasses you
can distinguish a hippo raising his head and stretching his jaws, but they always duck
when the steamer gets anywhere near. At the end of our second day we got to a place
called Vicenti, a sort of Portuguese station. A little while before we got there we
began to see something more interesting than the grass banks — the outline of a blue
mountain called Morambala, which overlooks the Shire River. Morambala is the
only hill to be seen for miles farther on beyond Vicenti. You hardly notice where you
get into the River Shire, as the country seems to have become quite demoralised at the
junction of the Shire with the Zambezi by
the intersection of innumerable channels
of water and swamps. Morambala looks
a splendid mountain, however (about 4,000
feet high), as it rises up above the foetid
Morambala marsh. Beyond Morambala
the banks are dotted with innumerable
tall palms which I could not help thinking
very picturesque with their lofty whitish-
grey stems, and their crowns of elegantly-
shaped blue-green fronds.
ijf Mf ijt
MT. MORAMBALA, I- KnM THK RIYKR SHIRK
"The first place we stopped at in
British territory was Port Herald on the west bank of the Shire, a pretty little settlement
with very rich vegetation. The steamer had to stop here for a day for some reason
or other so I and two of my fellow passengers went out for a shoot. The Administration
official at the station lent us a guide, and we had awfully good sport, coming back
with a large male waterbuck, — a beast as big as a red deer — and two reedbuck which
are somewhat the size of a roe and very good eating The meat of the waterbuck is no
good, so we gave it to the natives ; but as I had shot the beast 1 kept the horns which
are very fine though not at all like a stag's, being quite simple without branches and
1 66 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
with an elegant curve and ever so many rings. Jones, one of my fellow passengers, saw
a lion whilst we were out shooting on this occasion, but was in too much of a funk to
fire, so the beast got away. He says his cartridge jammed ! but I don't believe him.
" Chiromo is an awfully pretty little place. The roads are broad and bordered with
fine shady trees planted close together. Some of the buildings are quite smart, though
of course at home we should think them small.
" Up to the present the climate has been lovely and I have not had a touch of fever.
It is quite cool at nights and one seldom gets mosquitos, but I am told that in the rainy
season they are an awful pest. In the middle of the day it is about as hot as a summer's
day at home, but not too hot to walk about with or without an umbrella. This is the
beginning of the cool season of the year."
"BLANTYRE, June 3o///.
"I got up to Blantyre on June i8th. The small steamer of the Lakes Company
took us on from Chiromo to Katunga, up the Shire. You cannot go beyond Katunga
by water, or at least much beyond, because of the rapids and falls. The Steamer
Company arranged about the transport of my baggage and I simply saddled my pony,
which was in capital condition, and rode him gently up to Blantyre. The distance
is about 25 miles. I had sent a telegram from Katunga to say I was coming and old
McClear rode out and met me half-way. His plantation is not in Blantyre but about
seven miles out. However, we slept that night at an hotel in Blantyre and went on to
his plantation the next morning. The country is awfully pretty — very thickly wooded
in parts and with hills and mountains of bold outline. Water seems to be most
abundant ; every few miles you cross a running stream or rivulet. As far as climate goes
you might think yourself back in England, anywhere near Blantyre, at this season of the
year. All the houses are built of brick and every room, nearly, has a fireplace.
" It is very jolly at night to sit round a huge log fire and enjoy it, with the tempera-
ture outside almost down to freezing point. In fact some mornings there is a white rime
on the ground when you first go out.
********
" I have almost settled on buying a piece of land adjoining McClear's plantation.
It belongs to the Crown and I shall have to take these steps to buy it:— First of all
I have to get one of the surveyors here to go over the land with me and make a rough
plan of the boundaries so that we can get at some idea of the area and furnish the
Commissioner's Office with sufficient information to enable the officials to decide where
the land is and whether it can be sold. With these particulars I send a fee of £2,
which includes the surveyor's fees and the cost of inserting an announcement in the
Gazette. If the Commissioner decides to sell the land he will put a notice to that effect
in the Gazette and an upset-price will be fixed (probably 55-. an acre) and notice will be
given that the estate will be sold by public auction a fortnight after the announcement
appears. The sale will take place at the Court House in Blantyre. I shall have to
go there and if nobody bids against me I shall get the estate knocked down to me
at the upset-price.
********
" BLANTYRE, August \st.
" I have bought my land — nobody bid against me— but I have had my first attack
of fever. Perhaps it is just as well to get it over, as they say you have it all the worse
if it is bottled up in your system. I think mine must have come on from a chill. I had
played in a tremendous cricket match got up at Blantyre, "The Administration v.
Planters," and after getting very hot went and sat about in the cool breeze, which
is about the most fatal thing you can do. The next day after breakfast I began to feel
a bit cheap— very shivery and a horrid pain in the back, and rather a sensation as though
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
167
I was going to have a tremendous cold. I am staying at Major McClear's and he told
me at once I was in for a doss of fever, made me go to bed, gave me a purge and put
hot water bottles at my feet. Then I began to get awfully hot — my temperature went up
to 102 degrees— and after that came a sweat which soaked all the bed clothes, and then
I felt a bit better and wanted to get up but they advised me to stay in bed. I seemed
all right the next morning except that my ears were singing, but towards evening again
I felt beastly bad. I went to bed and vomited ever so many times, and thought I was
going to die. A doctor came to see me and found my temperature 103 degrees ; he
brought it down with a dose of phenacitine. Eventually I got to sleep and woke up
much better, but I was down again the third day though not so bad. After that I felt
SHARRER S STORE AT KATUNGA
very weak and looked very yellow for a day or two, and then my appetite came back and
now I am just as fit as it is possible to be — a tremendous appetite and think the country
is the finest in the world though I can tell you whilst I had the fever on me I made an
awful ass of myself, telling them all I was going to die and sending all sorts of messages
to my people! I hear everybody does that when he has fever and no one seems
inclined to make fun of you on that account.
"Well : I have bought my land— 500 acres at 5^. makes ,£125. I shall have to pay
the Stamp Duties and eventually the cost of a survey. All this will come to about
another £20— say in all ^"150. I have arranged to live with old McClear (it is awfully
kind of him to propose it) and learn the business whilst my own estate is being got
ready. He will give me a room and my board, and during all the time that I can spare
off my own land I am to help him and his son on their estate : this of course will teach
me something about coffee planting.
"Blantyre is not half a bad place but it seems to me a good deal of hard drinking
i68 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
goes on there. Smedley, the Missionary doctor, says a white man ought not to touch
alcohol in Africa except when it is given to him as a medicine. That is all very well but
I can't see that a little lager beer does much harm, or a glass of good claret ; and as the
drinking water at Blantyre is not first rate and one can't always be swilling tea the entire
teetotal plan does not suit me ; at the same time I am willing to admit that a deal too
much whisky is consumed here. Somehow or other most of the chaps who come out
here to plant seem to get into the way of it. Perhaps I shall do the same. I must say
on these very cold nights before one turns in, whilst you are sitting round the pleasant
log fire a glass of hot whisky and water is very tempting and surely can't be harmful ?
The Doctor says it is, under all circumstances, and that all spirits have a most prejudicial
effect on the liver in Central Africa.
" PAZULU, September loth.
" This is the name of old Major McClear's plantation. I believe it means ' up
above.' It is on a hill-side looking down on the River Lunzu and the bush is being
burnt in all directions. I am awfully fit and have been very busy clearing my land
of bush. This is how I have had to set about it. I found that a man named Carter
had just come down from the Atonga country on the west coast of Lake Nyasa with
a huge gang of Atonga labourers. Some of the chaps do this every now and then when
they have got time on their hands — go up the west coast of Nyasa (where they get
very good sport) and come back with a gang of men for work. After supplying their
own plantations they pass on the others to planters and traders who want men. All
these men are registered at the Government office, either in the country they come from
or at some place like Blantyre. You have to engage them before a Government official
and everything is written down fair and square — the time you engage them for, the
amount you are going to pay them, and so on. Each man gets a copy of the contract
and you have to pay a shilling for the stamp on it, that is to say a shilling for each
labourer. You may not engage them for more than a year even if you want to, and
if they want to stay. Ordinarily one takes them for six months and you have to give
a deposit or a bond to provide for the cost of their return passage money to their homes.
If a man runs away before the time of his contract is completed without any breach
of the agreement on your part he can be punished and you can proceed against him for
damages up to a certain amount if he refuse to complete the term for which he is
engaged ; of course you have a further hold over them because you do not pay them the
full sum for their services till their time is up. When you pay them off you have to
do so before the Government officer who sees that what you give them is that which
is owing to them.
" I have got a gang of fifty men and a ' capitao.' They are all Atonga — a cheery
lot though rather unruly at times and ready to knock off work if you do not keep a
sharp look out. The head man of any gang is called a 'capitao' which I believe is
a Portuguese word — the same as 'captain.' My 'capitao' when he is at work wears
precious little clothing, but on Sundays he puts on a long coat with brass buttons and
a red fez which he has bought at a store or which was part of his last year's payment.
His name is Moses. Of course he has got an Atonga name of his own but the
missionaries in this country will give them all Biblical names (which I think is awfully
bad taste, but the Atonga do not share my views and Mosesi, as he calls himself, admires
his Bible name tremendously). 1 am to pay these men three shillings a month each and
the 'capitao' five shillings. Besides this they get their food allowance or 'posho' as
it is sometimes called. This I generally give to them in white calico (which costs me
2\d. a yard). I give my men four yards a week each with six yards for the 'capitao.'
This with occasional extras brings up the cost of their food to 2d. a day with a little
extra for the head man. Some of the other traders here only give out food allowance
at the rate of three yards a week per man, but food has become very dear, relatively
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
169
speaking, round Blantyre ; and if our labourers do not receive sufficient food cloth
or money in lieu thereof they are bound to steal from the native gardens and so get into
trouble I wonder some of the planters and traders here do not see that it is far and
away the best policy to treat one's labourers generously in the way of food. There
is nothing which will attach the negro more to your service than to give him plenty
to eat. A man who feeds him well may beat him as much as he pleases in moderation
and the man will still remain attached and return to the same plantation year after year :
besides you can get a lot more work out of the men if they are well nourished, and
really I assure you no one ever did such credit to good food as a negro whose eyes
are bright whose skin is clear and whose temper is sunny, when he is well fed.
"Talking about beating; of course it goes on to some extent though it is illegal
in the eyes of the Administration, but a certain amount
of discipline must be kept up by the head man of a
gang and trifling corrections are not noticed by the
authorities provided the men make no complaint ; but
in old days, I am told, before there was any Government
here the amount of flogging that went on was a great
deal too bad, and some cases were downright savage.
The instrument used is a 'chicote'1 — a long, thin,
rounded strip of hippopotamus hide about the thickness
of a finger .... stiff but slightly pliant. If this is
applied to the bare skin it almost invariably breaks it
and causes bleeding. For my part I am jolly careful
not to get into trouble, and when one of my chaps was
caught stealing the other day I preferred to bring him
up before the Police Court and have him punished there
instead of taking the law into my own hands.
" The first part of the estate we began to clear was
the possible site for a house. I chose this on a little
knoll overlooking the Lunzu and about fifty feet above
the bank of the river which is seventy yards distant. I
flattened the top of the knoll and had to cut down one
or two trees. After this I selected the site of my
nurseries and resolved to thoroughly clear, in addition, \ '•« \IITAO"
about 100 acres for planting. The process of clearing
is now going on briskly. I get up every morning at six and walk over from McClear's
house to my own plantation and turn out my Atonga who are living in tnisasa (ram-
shackle shelters of sticks and thatch which they make to house themselves). Then the
men turn out with cutlasses and axes and set to work cutting down the terribly rampant
grass and herbage, and here and there a useless, shadeless tree or shrub. I am carefully
leaving all the big trees for the shade they will give to the coffee ; they will grow all the
finer for the clearing of the growth around them.
"All the bush which is thus cut down will be left to lie in the sun and dry.
Then the Atonga will pile it into heaps a few yards distant one from the other and
set fire to it, and when it is burnt to ashes they will spread the ashes over the soil
and dig it in. I am advised to get native women of the district to do this for me
with native hoes. The women here work exceedingly hard — -much better than the
men — and ask less pay. A little while later on they will be beginning to prepare
their own plantations before the big rains so it is as well to get them now if 1 can.
For chance labour like this, for any term less than a month and within their own
district I shan't have to register them."
1 A Portuguese word. — II II. J.
170 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
"PAZULU, November 2o///.
" I have been much too busy to write any letters for the last two months — awfully busy
but wonderfully well and not the least bit dull. When I had cleared my ground for the
plantation I had it lined out in regular rows from six feet to seven feet apart, and at
intervals of about six feet along these rows we dug pits 18 inches wide and 18 inches
deep. The pits were left open for some six weeks '• to weather," then we filled them
up with soil, which was mixed with a manure made of cow-dung and wood ashes. After
each pit had been filled up we stuck into the middle of it a bamboo stick (bamboos grow
in abundance along the stream bank and on the hill-sides and are very useful) to mark
the place where the coffee plant was to be put it. I made arrangements with a neigh-
bouring planter to buy sufficient coffee seedlings of a year's growth to plant up the
50 acres I have cleared. Every day we expect the rainy season to begin now — in fact
to-day the soth November is the date on which the big rains ordinarily begin near
Blantyre (we had occasional showers in July and August and one or two in September,
but no rain at all in October, only a lot of thunder and lightning and an occasional dry
tornado). As soon as the rains have really broken I shall put the coffee plants in these
pits. I am told that whilst the coffee grows the weeds grow even quicker, and that the
hardest time I shall have with my own men will be during December, January and
February, keeping the weeds down. If we are not incessantly at work hoeing in
between the coffee plants they will be smothered by the growth of weeds.
" It is so very good of old McClear to put me up in his house that I have been
doing my best to help him in between working on my own plantation. He gathered
his first coffee crop this year, and is very pleased at the result. The berries were
picked off the trees (which are three years old) at the end of June and the beginning of
July, and all this was over before I arrived on the scene ; but I saw the berries when they
were being pulped by machinery. By this process the sweet fleshy covering of the
berries is taken off and the bean is disclosed encased in its parchment skin. You know
of course that this splits into two seeds when you take off the dry skin and it is merely
these seeds which you see when the coffee reaches you at home. I shall not get a
pulper till I have owned my plantation for about four years, as it is hardly worth while
for a poor man to have a maiden crop off a small plantation pulped by machinery.
"After the beans are pulped they are passed into a brick vat where they are left to
ferment for between 24 and 36 hours. Then they are removed to a second vat and
thoroughly washed in water. Then they are taken out and dried on mats. After this
they are further dried in a drying house and constantly turned over to prevent anything
like mould. All through the end of September and the beginning of October we were
busy packing the coffee in stout canvas bags, weighing about 56 Ibs. each. Each bag
was numbered and marked with McClear's initials by stencil plates, and handed over to
one of the transport companies here to be shipped direct to London, via Chinde. It
will of course be carried partly on men's heads and partly in waggons down to Katunga,
and then they will send it down river to Chinde. It is to be hoped they will be
careful not to put the bags into a leaky boat or steamer, because if they are wetted
the coffee will be quite spoiled. The cost of sending this coffee from Blantyre to
London is about ^"8 a ton.
" BLANTYRE, January ist.
" In spite of the rainy season which is well on us, we have spent a very jolly
Christmas at Blantyre. Most of the planters from Cholo and the other districts round
Blantyre have congregated here for Christmas week. We had a little mild horse-racing
and a shooting competition. Like most of the other Europeans here I belong to the
Shire Highlands Shooting Club, but I did not score over well on this occasion, because
I was a bit off colour, having had another little touch of fever— caused by the beginning
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS 171
of the rainy season I expect. We had a smoking concert in the Court House which
was lent to us for the occasion, and the missionaries got up a big bazaar in aid of their
school-house, and afterwards a lot of us were entertained at the Manse by the senior
missionary where we heard some really good music. You have no idea what a pretty
place the Manse is. It is rather a rambling house with a low thatched roof, but all the
rooms open on to the verandahs with glass doors and plenty of windows so that they are
very light inside though shielded from the sun.
"There is a fairly good club here with lots of newspapers. 1 belong to the club and
get a bedroom there whenever I come into Blantyre. I cannot say I think much of the
hotels. Perhaps when more Europeans come to the country it will be worth while
building a good place to receive them where a check will be set on the unlimited
consumption of whisky, which at present tends to a good deal of noise and brawling
of a not very creditable kind. Whisky is the curse of this country as far as Europeans
are concerned, and is the cause of more than half the sickness.
" One of the chief drawbacks to this place, after all, is the lack of news. Blantyre
is a hot-bed of gossip and rumours simply because it has no daily newspaper. There
are no Reuter's telegrams to read at the club every day because we are not in direct
telegraph communication with the outer world. The mails arrive with much uncertainty;
this is partly owing to the irregular way in which the ocean-going steamers call at Chinde.
There are supposed to be two mails from Europe landed at Chinde in the month, but
sometimes they both come together and then there is a month's interval before another
mail arrives ; or when the mail is landed at Chinde there may be no steamer ready to
start up-river with it. Again, in the dry season the steamers may stick on a sandbank
before they reach Chiromo, and then the mails have to be sent overland to Blantyre, but
the mail-carriers may have to ford flooded rivers, or they may be scared by a lion, so the
time they take varies from two and a half to five days. Usually our letters and papers
from England are six to seven weeks old when they reach us and I suppose my letters
take the same time to reach you. Yet it is wonderful how much up to date people are
here in information. It is astonishing what a lot everybody reads, and what heaps
of newspapers and magazines are taken in. The Administration has started a lending
library with a very decent collection of books, and although this is supposed to be
primarily for Administration officials outsiders may by permission be allowed to join.
We have a Planters' Association and Chamber of Commerce.
"The best fun I think is shooting. Game near Blantyre is getting scarce though
there are heaps of lions and leopards, but it is so difficult to see them in the long grass
and thick bush. What I enjoy, however, is going from a Saturday to Monday towards
a mountain called Chiradzulu, and along the river Namasi. \Ve always give our labourers
on the plantations a Saturday half-holiday, and I can generally trust the capitaos to see
that the men do a fair amount of work in the Saturday morning, so that I can sometimes
get away on the Friday night with a companion or two. We take tent, beds, folding
chairs and table, a few pots and pans and a basket of provisions. One of the chaps who
generally comes with me brings his cook with him, a native boy trained at the Mission
and not half a bad cook either. We usually ride out on our ponies as far as the
Administration station on the Namasi river, as there is a good road there. Here we
leave the nags under shelter and then strike off into the bush. Of course the rains are
now on us and this sort of thing is not so pleasant in wet weather, but it was very jolly
at the end of the dry season when the dense grass and bush were burnt, after the bush
fires, and one could get about easily and see the game. We generally chose a place by
the banks of a stream with plenty of shade, for our camp. The next day we would walk
something like twenty miles in the course of our shooting, and although our luck varied
172
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
we seldom failed to get two or three buck at least. As to the guinea fowl, they were
there in swarms ! It was awfully jolly sitting smoking round a huge camp fire, so
perfectly safe and yet in such a wild country with lions roaring at intervals not far away,
and the queer sounds of owls and tiger-cats and chirping insects coming from the thick
bush. Our boys used to build rough shelters of branches to sleep in and try to keep up
fires through the night, more to scare away wild beasts than for any other reason.
Recently these little jaunts have been more charming on account of the gorgeousness
of the wild flowers, for this is the spring of the year. I am a bit of a botanist, you
know, but even if I was not I could not help admiring the gorgeous masses of colour
which the different flowers produce among the young green grass, on the bushes, and on
the big trees."
IN CAMP — AFTER A DAYS SHOOTING
" PAZULU, February \<\th.
" We have had an anxious time here with young McClear. He went down the
Upper Shire to look at some land that his father is thinking of investing in for growing
sugar (as the sugar cane grows there in tremendous luxuriance and there is a great
local demand for sugar), but he is a very careless chap, you know, and what with getting
wet through with rain and exposing himself too much to the sun and drinking whatever
water he comes across, he has fallen ill with black-water fever since he came back to
Blantyre. Nobody can quite account for this peculiar disease. Some people say it
comes from turning up the new soil of a very rank kind ; others — and they are generally
doctors — assert that the germ is quite different from that in malarial fever, and enters the
system from water, either through the pores of the skin in bathing or through the
stomach, if the infected water is drunk. Therefore there should be one very simple
preventative by having all one's washing and drinking water boiled. However it may be,
young McClear went down with it very suddenly only two days after he got back. He
seemed quite well in the morning, ate his breakfast as usual, and went out to the
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS 173
plantation, but at eleven o'clock I met him coming back to breakfast (we have an early
breakfast at six and a big breakfast at eleven — no luncheon) an hour before the usual
time. I thought he looked awfully queer. There was a grey lock about his face and he
was very dark about the eyes. He told me he felt a frightful pain in his back and was
very cold. Instead of coming to breakfast he went to bed. Presently his boy came down
to tell us that ' Master was very bad.' Old McClear went up and found that his son had
got the ' black-water ' fever. He vomited steadily all that day, and at night-fall was as
yellow as a guinea, besides being dreadfully weak. Of course we had the doctor over as
soon as possible, but in this disease doctors at present can do very little. Quinine is of
no avail and all that you can aim at is keeping up the patient's strength. Young McClear
was smartly purged and then given champagne and water to drink, and he went on
vomiting all night and the greater part of next day. The doctor then injected morphia
into his arm and this stopped the vomiting and gave him a little sleep. After that he
managed to keep down some chicken broth, and the third and fourth days he mended.
In six days he was seemingly all right, though a little weak, and on the seventh day he
was actually up and about, and his skin had almost regained its normal colour.
" After a go of black-water fever it is always better to leave the country for a change
if you can, but you ought not to hurry away too soon lest the fatigues of the journey
should bring on a relapse, and therefore McClear will wait till April and then run down
to Natal and back for a trip. Many men who come to this country never get black-water
fever, either because they take great care of themselves or because the germs which cause
the disease by attacking the red-blood corpuscles cannot get the mastery over their
systems, but where a man finds himself to be subject to attacks of this disease I should
advise him to quit : Central Africa is not for him."
" PAZULU, May 2nd.
" Our rainy season came to an end a couple of weeks ago and I want to lose no time
about building my house as a large quantity of bricks will have to be made during this
dry season. I have hired some native brickmakers from Blantyre. They will be able
to make about 1,000 bricks a day. I shall need about 45,000 bricks for my house. I
have been cutting timber on McClear's land by arrangement, for joists and beams. The
doors, match-board skirting, &c., I shall buy at one of the stores in Blantyre, where I
shall also get corrugated iron for the roof and the timber for the inner ceiling, without
which the bare iron would be a great deal too hot in the summer and too cold in the
winter. I shall take care that all the rooms have fire-places. I cannot tell you how
necessary fires are here for health and comfort. Fortunately we have any quantity of
fire-wood. As I am trying hard to keep within my thousand pounds I shall not build a
house of more than three rooms with a nice large verandah, and a portion of the
verandah will be cut off as a bath-room and communicate with the bed-room by a door.
" The other two rooms will be respectively dining-room and office in one, and private
sitting-room. I shall also run up a small brick store with a strong roof and a strong
door (to prevent thieving). My kitchen will be wattle and daub with a thatched roof
and a brick chimney and will stand at a little distance from the house connected with it
by a covered way. Another corner of the verandah beside the bath-room will be
enclosed as a pantry and private store-room for provisions. In building my house I am
strongly cautioned to avoid "a through draught." The principle on which the oldest
planters' houses were built was a very unhealthy one. The front door opened into a
kind of hall which was used as a dining-room, and immediately opposite the front door
was a back door by which the food was brought in to the table. The result was that
persons sitting at the table sat in a draught, and to sit in a draught in this country or to
get a chill in any way is the surest cause of fever.
" My verandah will be paved with tiles which I can obtain in Blantyre from the men
who make them. The foundations of the house will be brick, over which I shall put a
good layer of cement to stop any nonsense on the part of white ants, though on my
'74
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
estate \ve are not troubled with these pests so far as I know, but Thomas, of Blantyre,
who lives near here, after building a very nice house has been awfully troubled with the
white ants, who in a few nights would build up a huge ant-hill in the middle of the
drawing-room, if he was away and the house shut up. They also came up under his
bed and broke out all through the walls. The result was he had to take up his carefully
laid floors, and dig and dig and dig, until he rooted out at least three separate nests. In
one case he was obliged to tunnel down something like ten feet before he found the
queen ; and until you have found and extirpated the queens your work has been for
nothing, for if you fill up the hole the white ant community soon gets to rights again
and recommences operations. The worst of it is, you never know whether there may
not be more than one queen in the nest and whether you have destroyed them all !
NATIVES MAKING BRICKS
" In front of my house I intend to have a small terrace, which I shall plant in an
orderly way with flower beds. Last month I ran over to Zomba for a visit and stayed
with one of the officials of the Administration, and there I saw old W— - who is in
charge of the Botanical Gardens, who has given me lots of flower seeds, and promised
me any amount of plants and strawberries, as soon as my garden is ready to receive
them. W— - is giving away strawberry plants to everyone and I wonder that they are
not more run after as those planted at Zomba produce excellent crops year after year,
the fruit season lasting about five months. They are not large strawberries like those at
home, but a small Alpine kind. Yet they are very fragrant and very sweet.
"Down in the lower country near Lake Chilwa, you see a most extraordinary
Euphorbia growing, which I am afraid most of the planters call "cactuses."1 These are
both quaint and ornamental, and I am going to plant some of them along the bottom of
my garden. In the centre of my flower beds I shall put wild date palms, which grow
in the stream-valleys, and at each corner of the terrace there shall be a raphia palm.
1 There are no cacti in Africa, except the Opuntia (prickly pear) introduced from America into North
and South Africa.— H. H. J.
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
'75
There is one attraction in this country for people who like flowers and palms on the
table and about the house. Here they cost absolutely nothing. You have only to send
a boy into the bush and he will come back with a young palm which would cost at least a
guinea at home, or with a handful of flowers such as you might see in a horticultural show.
"My coffee presents a most thriving appearance. I keep it studiously free from
weeds. Next October I shall be ready to plant up another fifty acres.
"You asked me to give you some idea of Blantyre. It seems hardly correct to
speak ot it as a town as the houses are still very scattered, yet it is now constituted
as a township, and rather well laid out with roads. When all the blanks between the
present dwellings are filled up, it will be a very large and important city. At present its
future greatness is, as the French would say, only ebauche. The most striking feature is
the church, which is a very handsome red brick building, apparently a mixture of Norman
and Byzantine styles with white domes. It is really an extraordinarily fine church for the
centre of Africa, and is appropriately placed in the middle of a large open space or
square, without any other buildings near at hand to dwarf its proportions. When we had
the Kawinga scare two or three months ago (I forgot to tell you that Kawinga the old slave-
raiding chief to the north of Zomba
attempted to try conclusions with
the British two months ago), it
was reported by the natives that
Kawinga's object in invading Blan-
tyre would be to secure the church
to himself as a residence ! It is
at present the mean by which all
natives measure their ideas of a
really fine building. On one side
of the square there are gardens be-
longing to the mission ; on the
other side a very handsome school
designed somewhat in the Moorish
style of architecture. Along the
Zomba road to the north of the
church are the residences of the
European missionaries. This church
square is connected with the rest of
Blantyre by a handsome avenue of
cypresses and eucalyptus. The
growth of the cypresses is astonish-
ing, as well as their lateral bulk, and
the road is completely shaded and
delightful for a stroll, because of a
strong wholesome perfume from
these conifers. The soil about here
is very red, and the neatly -made
roads branching off in all directions
passing through very green vegeta-
tion give a pretty effect to the eye.
There are no buildings along this road until you reach the vicinity of the Administration
headquarters which are locally known as the 'Boma.'1 Here we come to a good many
buildings, and all of them red brick with corrugated iron roofs and of one storey.
The corrugated iron is not as ugly as you might think as it is mostly painted red, which
gives it more the appearance of tiles.
" Boma" is a Swahili word for "stockade." The first settlement of the Government here was on n
)f property belonging to a native which had a stockade of thorn around it. Soon after this wtis
purchased, however, the thorn hedge was done away with. — H. H. J.
CYPRESS AVENUE, BLANTYRE
176
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
" Continuing along the straight road, and leaving the Government buildings to the
right, you cross the Mudi stream by a fine bridge,1 built by the African Lakes Company.
On the other side of the Mudi one is on the property of the African Lakes Company
which is a large suburb, called Mandala, on rising ground, from which a fine view can be
obtained of the Mission settlement. At Mandala there are many houses and stores and
workshops and stables — all very
neatly made of brick, with iron roofs.
There are handsome roads and
gardens and a perfect forest of
eucalyptus. The company has ex-
tensive nurseries there which extend
down to the banks of the Mudi, and
has had the good taste to preserve
a bit of the old forest which covered
the site of Blantyre when the
missionaries first arrived. This
forest chiefly consisted of a species
of acacia tree which has dense dark
green foliage in flat layers giving to
it at a distance almost the appear-
ance of a cedar. Beyond Mandala
one joins the main road to Katunga,
and the scenery becomes absolutely
beautiful as you mount up towards
the shoulder of Soche mountain.
Here in all directions there is a
beautiful forest, and the views in
the direction of the Shire river
might vie with the average pretty
scenery of any country. There are
still numbers of coffee plantations
on the outskirts of Blantyre, though
the tendency of the planters would
naturally be to keep their future
plantations farther away from the
vicinity of the town. The natives of
Blantyre are a rather heterogeneous
lot. The foundation of the stock
is of Mang'anja race, crossed with
Yao, who invaded the country some years ago ; but for many years refugees from other
parts of the Protectorate have been gathering round the Mission station, the Lakes
Company, Sharrer's Traffic Company, and other large employers of labour, all of whom
have brought men down from the lakes and up from the Zambezi, who have gradually
made their permanent homes at Blantyre. Morality is very low, and although they are
not strikingly dishonest still they are not above petty pilfering, and the coffee plantations
which are too near the town are apt to have their berries picked by the black Blantyre
citizens at night, and the coffee thus acquired is sent out and sold to native planters —
for some of the educated natives and small chiefs have started coffee plantations.
" Unfortunately, the water supply here is very bad, though a little energy would set
it all right. There is the Mudi stream, for instance, which flows perennially without much
diminution, even in the dry season ; but the upper waters of the Mudi flow through
native villages and the settlements of the missionary scholars, and all these people wash
their clothes and persons in the river, besides emptying into it all kinds of filth. The
1 The Mudi is crossed higher up by another bridge which the Administration has just made. — II. II. J.
EUCALYPTUS AVENUE, ZOMBA
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
177
result is that its waters are quite unfit for drinking purposes. A few of the settlers have
wells, but all of these except two seem to produce slightly brackish unwholesome water.
Away to the north of Blantyre arises another very fine stream, the Likubula. This is
rather too much below the level of Blantyre to make it easy to convey the water to the
township. The simplest expedient would seem to be the purification of the Mudi.
" But if the Mudi be at present unwholesome its banks are charming for the foliage
of the trees and the loveliness of the wild flowers. I would notice specially one crimson
lily which gives a succession of flowers for many months of the year.
" And yet how extraordinary people are in regard to wild flowers ! I remember when
I had just been admiring these red lilies on the Mudi's banks I went to dinner with one
of the married couples in Blantyre, and the lady of the house apologised to me for the
bareness of the table, complaining that her garden as yet produced no flowers. Yet she
had only got to send one of the servants out to the banks of the stream and to the
adjoining fields and she could have decked her table with red lilies, mauve, orange, and
white ground-orchids, and blue bean flowers in a way which would excite anyone's envy
at home.
"My reference to 'married couples ' reminds me to tell you that a good many of
the men settled here are married and their wives seem to stand the climate as well
as if not even better than their husbands, because, I imagine, they are exposed less to the
sun and do not have so much outdoor work. Although it is not consistent with the
duties of the planter still it is borne in on my mind that the healthiest life in Central
Africa is an indoor life. People who keep very much to the house and do not go out
or go far afield between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. never seem to get fever. At the same time
you should not remain out after sunset as you are apt to get a chill.
********
I do not know whether in the foregoing extracts from supposititious
letters I have succeeded in giving a fairly correct idea of the life that Europeans
lead under present conditions in British Central Africa. More will be said
on this subject in dealing with the Missionaries.
For the trader and the planter I think it may
be said that the country offers sufficiently sure and
rapid profits for their enterprise to compensate the
risk run in the matter of health. The various
trading companies in the country appear to be
doing well with an ever-extending business and
to be constantly increasing the number of their
establishments. Even traders in a small way, if
they have energy and astuteness, may reap con-
siderable earnings with relatively small outlay.
One man, for instance, went up to Kotakota on
Lake Nyasa with a few hundreds of pounds at his
disposal, bought a large number of cattle at a
very low price in the Marimba district and pur-
chased all the ivory the Arabs at Kotakota had
to dispose of, and on his total transaction made a
clear profit of £2000 by selling the cattle and
ivory at Blantyre; but it appears to me that as
time goes on the European trading community
will be limited to the employes of two or three
gj6!* .trading companies commanding considerable capital, and to a number
of British Indians who will not in any way conflict with the commerce of the
Europeans because they will often act as the middlemen buying up small
12
i78
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
quantities of produce here and there from the natives which they will re-sell
in large amounts to the European firms and agencies.
The remainder of the European settlers will be rather planters than traders,
disposing likewise of their produce to the commercial companies in British
Central Africa. Originally when there was very little or no cash in the country
every planter had likewise to be a trader on a small scale as all labourers
were paid in trade goods, and all the food that he bought from the natives was
purchased in the same manner. Now the country is full of cash, and in many
districts the natives refuse to accept any payment except in money, preferring to
go to the principal stores and make their purchases there. To a certain extent,
moreover, money payments are now compulsory between European employers
and their native employes ; moreover a planter often objects to taking out a
trading licence and prefers instead to relinquish his small commerce in this respect.
Briefly stated, the only serious drawback to British Central Africa as a
field of enterprise for trader or planter is malarial fever, either in its
ordinary form, or in its severest type which is commonly known as black-
water fever. I shall have a few words to say about this malady further on.
AN IVORY CARAVAN ARRIVING AT KOTAKOTA
The advantages are, at the present time, that land is cheap ; the country
is almost everywhere well watered by perennial streams, and by a reasonable
rainfall ; the scenery is beautiful in many of the upland districts ; the climate
is delicious — seldom too hot and often cold and pleasant ; there is an abundance
of cheap native labour ; transport, though offering certain difficulties inherent
in all undeveloped parts of Africa, is growing far easier and cheaper than in
Central South Africa, as the Shire river is navigable at all times of the year,
except for about 80 miles of its course, and Lake Nyasa is an inland sea with
a shore line of something like 800 miles. Moreover, the cost of simple articles
of food such as oxen, goats or sheep, or of antelopes and other big game,
poultry, eggs, and milk is cheap, together with the prices of a few vegetables
like potatoes or grain like Indian corn ; and all the European goods are not so
expensive as they would be in the interior of Australia, in Central South Africa,
or in the interior of South America because of the relative cheapness of
transport from the coast and of the very low Customs duties.
To sum up the question, I might state with truth that but for malarial fever
this country would be an earthly paradise ; the " but " however is a very big one.
Whether the development of medical science will enable us to find the same
antidote to malarial fever as we have found for small-pox in vaccination,
or whether drugs will be discovered which will make the treatment of the
disease and recovery therefrom almost certain, remains to be seen. If however
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS 179
here, as in other parts of tropical Africa, this demon could be conjured, beyond
all question the prosperity of Western Africa, of the Congo Basin and of British
Central Africa would be almost unbounded.
Ordinary malarial fever is serious but not so dangerous as that special form
of it which is styled " black-water " or haematuric. The difference between the
effects of the two diseases is this. Ordinary malarial fever is seldom immediately
fatal but after continued attacks the patient is often left with some permanent
weakness. Black-water fever is either fatal in a very few days or has such
a weakening effect on the heart that the patient dies during convalescence from
sudden syncope; but where black-water fever does not kill it never leaves
(as far as I am aware) permanent effects on the system of the sufferer. One
attack, however, predisposes to another and as a rule each succeeding attack is
more severe than its predecessor. Consequently a man who has had, say, two
attacks of black-water fever should not return to any part of Africa where that
disease is endemic.1
The origin and history of bilious haemoglobinuric or " black-water " fever are
still obscure. No mention of this disease would appear to have been made
until the middle of this century when it was described by the French naval
surgeons at Nossibe in Madagascar. According to Dr. Wordsworth Poole, the
principal medical officer of the British Central Africa Protectorate, true black-
water fever has occurred in parts of America and in the West Indies besides
those portions of Africa and Madagascar to which I have made allusion in
the footnote. Dr. Poole states that he has seen a case of it in Rome and that
it is said to occur in Greece. The cases occurring in tropical America which
Dr. Poole cites I should be inclined to ascribe to a variation of the ordinary
type of yellow fever. Now yellow fever, in my opinion, is a very near
connection of black-water fever, and some writers on Africa have stated that
yellow fever was actually engendered on the slave ships which proceeded
from West Africa to South America, and have suggested it was simply an
acute development of the ordinary African haemoglobinuric fever.
One remarkable feature in this disease appears to be that assuming it is
only endemic in certain parts of Africa, its germs would seem to be capable
of lying dormant for some time in the human system and then to suddenly
multiply into prodigious activity and produce an attack of black-water fever
some time after the individual has left the infected district. For instance,
in 1893 after having been absent nearly two months from British Central
Africa in Cape Colony and in Natal, I had a most severe attack of black-water
fever, which commenced at Durban on board a gunboat and finished at Delagoa
Bay. Again, when travelling through the Tyrol in the autumn of 1894, I
was suddenly seized with a slight but obvious attack of this fever after
returning from a mountain ascent. Although only ill for about twenty-four
1 At the present time black-water fever is endemic on the West Coast of Africa from the Gambia
on the north to Benguela on the south, and inland as far as the limits of the forest country of West Africa.
It extends over the whole of the Congo basin. I believe a few cases were noted on the White Nile and
the western tributaries of the Nile before the Mahdi's revolt expelled the Europeans from these parts.
It is endemic in the regions round the Victoria Nyanza and Tanganyika ; in the eastern half of British
Central Africa ; along the whole course of the Zambezi between Zumbo and its mouth ; in the Portuguese
province of Mocambique ; in German East Africa ; and in British East Africa. It is said not to be
endemic in the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba and that those persons who have suffered from it there brought
the germs of it from some other part of Africa. I have not heard that it exists at Beira or south of the
Zambezi, but should not be surprised to learn that cases of it occasionally occur there. Roughly speaking,
it may be said that as far as we know the Upper Niger regions, the North Central and Eastern Sudan,
Abyssinia, Somaliland, Galaland, Egypt, Northern Africa and Africa South of the Zambezi are free from
it. It is said to occur in Madagascar.
180 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
hours I had every symptom of black-water fever in a marked form. A case
occurred with one of the ladies of the Universities Mission at Zanzibar who
had an attack of black-water fever which came on after her return to England.
The mortality in black-water fever is about 40 per cent, among those who
have the disease for the first time ; 50 per cent, among those who have it for
the second time ; 75 per cent, among those who have it for the third time ; and
it is very rare that anyone survives more than three attacks. Not counting the
trifling little touch in the Tyrol, I have had four attacks of this disease at
different periods from 1886 to 1896. I know one of the German officials in
East Africa who has survived five attacks and is apparently in robust health,
and Dr. Kerr Cross mentions an European in North Nyasa (in good health at
the present time) who has had this fever ten times !
On the last occasion when I had black-water fever I derived very great
benefit from a single injection of morphia, which checked the vomiting and
gave the body time for repose and recuperation. Otherwise I know of
absolutely no drug which has been proved really efficacious in treating this
dangerous disease. All we can say at the present time is that good nursing
and a good constitution will generally pull patients through an attack. Quinine
appears to be of little use, unless during convalescence.
The symptoms of the disease are the following :—
The patient ordinarily complains of a severe pain in his back and a general
sense of malaise. This is often succeeded by a violent shivering fit. Upon
passing urine the latter is found to be a dark sepia colour, and subsequently
becomes a deep black with reddish reflexions, which accounts for the popular
name given to the fever. Sometimes the colour is almost the tint of burgundy
or claret. Not many hours after the attack has begun the colour of the
patient's skin becomes increasingly yellow. The temperature may sometimes
be as high as 105 degrees following on the shivering fit, but high temperatures
are not necessarily a very marked or serious symptom in black-water fever. A
most distressing vomiting is perhaps the most customary symptom next to the
black water.
The best way to treat this fever is to put the patient immediately to bed,
placing hot-water bottles at his feet, and to give him a strong purge. At first
the vomiting should not be checked, but as soon as it tends to weaken the
patient it ought to be stopped, if not by some opiate drug administered through
the stomach, then by an injection of morphia. When it is deemed that the
patient has vomited sufficiently to get rid of the poison in the system, and the
further vomiting has been to some extent checked, nourishment should then
be administered at frequent intervals— strong beef-tea, milk and brandy, eggs
beaten up with port wine, &c. Champagne and water, especially if this drink
can be iced and made into a champagne-cup, is excellent. Champagne is often
of great use in this disease in restoring the patient's strength. Once the
dangerous crisis of the disease is passed and any relapse is guarded against
by the most careful nursing, the patient is pretty sure to recover, unless he has
naturally a very weak heart. The recovery is often pleasantly quick. In all
my attacks of black-water fever there has rarely elapsed more than a week
between the commencement of the disease and the power to get up and walk
about, and convalescence in other ways has come rapidly.
Undoubtedly much ill-health might be avoided in tropical Africa by the
adoption of very temperate habits. I have written strongly on the drink
question in such Reports to the Government as have been published ; I do not
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS
181
therefore propose to repeat my diatribes in this book. But it should be added
that what I object to is not the drinking of good wine or beer, but the con-
sumption of spirits. Whisky is the bane of Central Africa as it is of West
Africa, South Africa and Australia. I dare say brandy is as bad as whisky
but it has passed out of fashion as a drink, and therefore it has not incurred
my animosity to the same extent as the national product of Scotland and
Ireland.1 Moreover, brandy is invaluable in sickness. If any spirits are drunk
it seems to me that gin is the least harmful, as it has a good effect on the
kidneys. In hot climates like that of Central Africa whisky seems to have
a bad effect on the liver and on the kidneys.
I do not suppose these words will have much effect on my readers.
IVORY AT MANDAI.A STORE (AFRICAN LAKES COMPANY)
Alcoholic excess is our national vice, and while we are ready enough to
deplore the opium-eating-or-smoking on the part of the Indians or Chinese,
— a vice which is not comparable in its ill effects to the awful abuse of alcohol
which is so characteristic of the northern peoples of Europe, — we still remain
indifferent to the effects of spirit-drinking which has been the principal vice of
the nineteenth century. The abuse of wine or beer, though bad like all abuses,
is a relatively wholesome excess compared to even a moderate consumption of
spirits. Though I think of the two extremes total abstinence is the better course
to follow in Central Africa, I do not recommend total abstinence from all forms
of alcohol. I think, on the contrary, the moderate use of wine is distinctly
beneficial, especially for anaemic people.
Trading with the natives on a large scale is, as I have said, chiefly confined
to two or three large companies — the African Lakes, Sharrer's, the Oceana
Company and Kahn & Co. But a small amount of barter chiefly for provisions
1 Which alone, I believe, among strong waters develops the poisonous Fusel Oil.
182
is still carried on by all Europeans residing in the less settled parts of British
Central Africa. The imported trade goods consisted chiefly of cotton stuffs
from Manchester and Bombay, beads from Birmingham and Venice, blankets
from England, India and Austria, fezzes from Algeria and from Newcastle-
under-Lyne, boots from Northampton, felt hats from various parts of England,
hardware and brass wire and hoes from Birmingham, cutlery from Sheffield,
and various fancy goods from India.
The trade products which British Central Africa gives us in exchange for
these goods and for much English money in addition are : Ivory, coffee, hippo,
teeth, rhinoceros horns, cattle, hides, wax, rubber, oil seeds, sanseviera fibre,
tobacco, sugar (locally consumed), wheat (ditto), maize (ditto), sheep, goats and
poultry (ditto), timber (ditto), and the Strophanthus drug.
KAHN AND CO S TRADING STORE AT KOTAKOTA
It only remains to say a few words about the relations between the
Europeans and the natives. I am convinced that this eastern portion of
British Central Africa will never be a white man's country in the sense that
all Africa south of the Zambezi, and all Africa north of the Sahara will
eventually become — countries where the white race is dominant and native to the
soil. Between the latitudes of the Zambezi and the Blue Nile, Africa must in
the first instance be governed in the interests of the black man, and the black-
man \vill there be the race predominant in numbers, if not in influence. The
future of Tropical Africa is to be another India ; not another Australia. The
white man cannot permanently colonise Central Africa ; he can only settle on a
few favoured tracts, as he would do in the North of India. Yet Central Africa
possesses boundless resources in the way of commerce, as it is extremely rich
in natural products, — animal, vegetable and mineral. These it wrill pay the
European to develop and should equally profit the black man to produce.
Untaught by the European he was living like an animal, miserably poor in the
midst of boundless wealth. Taught by the European he will be able to develop
THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS 183
this wealth and bring it to the market, and the European on the other hand
will be enriched by this enterprise. But Central Africa is probably as remote
from self government or representative institutions as is the case with India.
It can only be administered under the benevolent despotism of the Imperial
Government, though in the future and developed administration there is no
reason to suppose that black men may not serve as officials in common with
white men and with yellow men, just as there are Negro officials in the adminis-
tration of the West African colonies, and Malay officials in the Government of
the Straits Settlements.
It must not be supposed that the Administration of British Central Africa
has always had, or will always command the unhesitating support of the white
settlers now in the country. It sometimes seems to me that the bulk of these
sturdy pioneers (excellent though the results of their work have been in develop-
ing the resources of the country) would, if allowed to govern this land in their
own way, use their power too selfishly in the interests of the white man. This
I find to be the tendency everywhere where the governing white men are not
wholly disinterested, are not, that is to say, paid to see fair play. From time to
time a planter rises up to object to the natives being allowed to plant coffee, in
case they should come into competition with him, or urges the Administration
to use its power despotically to compel a black man to work for wages whether
he will or not.
The ideal of the average European trader and planter in Tropical Africa
would be a country where the black millions toil unremittingly for the benefit of
the white man. They would see that the negroes were well fed and not treated
with harshness, but anything like free will as to whether they went to work
or not, or any attempt at competing with the white man as regards education or
skilled labour would not be tolerated.
As a set off against this extreme is the almost equally unreasonable opinion
entertained by the missionaries of a now fast-disappearing type, that Tropical
Africa was to be developed with English money and at the cost of English
lives, solely and only for the benefit of the black man, who, as in many mission
stations, was to lead an agreeably idle life, receiving food and clothes gratis, and
not being required to do much in exchange but make a more or less hypocritical
profession of Christianity. This mawkish sentiment, however, no longer holds
the field, and there is scarcely a mission in Nyasaland which does not inculcate
among its pupils the stern necessity of work in all sections of humanity. The
great service that Christian missions have rendered to Africa has been to act as
the counterpoise to the possibly selfish policy of the irresponsible white pioneer,
in whose eyes the native was merely a chattel, a more or less useful animal,
but with no rights and very little feeling.
It is the mission of an impartial administration to adopt a mean course
between the extreme of sentiment and the extreme of selfishness. It must
realise that but for the enterprise and capital of these much-criticised, rough
and ready pioneers Central Africa would be of no value and the natives
would receive no payment for the products of their land, would, in fact,
relapse into their almost ape-like existence of fighting, feeding and breeding.
Therefore due encouragement must be shown to European planters, traders
and miners, whose presence in the country is the figure before the ciphers.
Yet, it must be borne in mind that the negro is a man, with a man's rights ;
above all, that he was the owner of the country before we came, and deserves,
nay, is entitled to, a share in the land, commensurate with his needs and
1 84 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
numbers ; that in numbers he will always exceed the white man, while
he may some day come to rival him in intelligence ; and that finally if we
do not use our power to govern him with absolute justice the time will
come sooner or later when he will rise against us and expel us as the
Egyptian officials were expelled from the Sudan.
APPENDIX I.
BILIOUS H^MOGLOBINURIC : OR, BLACK -WATER FEVER
BY DR. D. KERR CROSS, M.B.
THIS form of fever has been met with in the Mauritius, Senegal, Madagascar, the
Gold Coast, French Guiana, Venezuela, in some parts of Central America, and the ^rest
India Islands. It is even said to have been seen in some parts of Italy and Spain. It
has been carefully studied in Nosi-be, on the north-west of Madagascar, where it is
estimated that one in fourteen of the Malarial Fevers treated there were Hoemoglobinuric.
Some cases observed in Rome have been carefully studied, with the result that some are
associated with the Plasmodium Malaria — the Bacterium in Malarial Fever — while others
are not. The same has been the case on the Gold Coast. The generally accepted
opinion is that Hsemoglobinuric fever may arise apart from any malarial affection.
Any bacterium which destroys the Red Blood Corpuscles and sets free the red colouring
matter — Haemoglobin — will bring about this form of fever. Haemoglobin is an irritant
to the kidneys, and brings on a congested state of that organ. In this form of fever we
always find the kidneys abnormal both in size and in weight, while there is a bleeding into
the tissue under the capsule and in the interstitial cortical substance, or with the discolora-
tion which we know to result from these conditions. The Epithelia lining the convo-
luted tubes of the kidney are larger than normal and are cloudy, while the tubes
themselves contain casts that are stained yellow ; this yellow staining being in a very
fine state of division or, in some cases, in large granules. There is a marked obstruction
of the tubules of the kidney, both in the cortical and pyramidal portion. The blood
vessels and capillaries are often found to contain corpuscles that are deeply stained. This
is also the case with the glomeruli of the organ. The serum of the blood contains great
quantities of free haemoglobin which gives it a yellow colour. This yellow colour is
seen in the serum obtained from the application of a blister to the surface and in blood
drawn for microscopic purposes.
This form of fever begins as a regular remittent. There is usually severe vomiting of
bilious matter — indeed, my experience is that in a severe case there is vomiting every
half-hour night and day. There are bilious stools of a frothy yellow substance. There
is very marked jaundice over the whole body. There is delirium of a violent form.
Sometimes there is a free discharge of black urine or, it may be. of actual blood.
Towards the close of a fatal case there is suppression of the urine resulting in coma and
convulsions. Everything in this affection points to the wholesale destruction of the
Red Blood Corpuscles, and to a desperate effort on the part of the system to throw
something off. From the suddenness with which the tissues of the whole body become
yellow, we might say that every tissue takes on itself the power of secreting bile. Bile is
eliminated by the bowels, by the skin, by the kidneys, and by the liver. The patient
vomits, purges, sweats, and in some cases bleeds. The gums, it may be, become spongy
and sore, and may even shed blood. There may be bleeding from the mouth and nose
and over purple spots on the skin. As in the case of yellow fever, there may be a
APPENDICES 185
bleeding from the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, which, acted on by
the digestive fluids, may lead to a Black Vomit. A marked feature, too, in some cases
is that the attacks are paroxysmal. They come on with a shivering fit, with pains in the
back,, retention of the testes, vomiting, and lowered temperature. Two hours afterwards,
when the urine is passed, it is bloody, contains albumin, and deposits a thick sediment.
The dark urine may continue to be passed for three or four days, but in other cases after
a few hours there is a return to the normal state. I have known of seizures to come on
every morning about eight o'clock for ten or twelve days in succession. Gradually, how-
ever, they seemed to diminish in severity, and then to pass off. Between the attacks the
urine seemed perfectly normal.
There is another form where we get actual blood in the urine. The blood is
intimately mixed with the urine, and is like "porter."
Then we may get actual suppression of urine. The malarial poison acts on the
kidneys like a poison. The result of this suppression is uraemic poisoning.
It seems to be the case that certain constitutions have a predisposition to this form of
fever. There are many who have resided in British Central Africa for ten or more years
who have not once suffered from its effects, while others have not been resident as many
months, and have suffered from several attacks. It is not the case that quinine taken in
prophylactic doses every day arms the constitution against it. For myself personally I take
this drug only when I think I need it, and not as a preventative medicine ; and while I
have suffered from ordinary fever I have not once in eleven years had the more serious
affection. This also seems to be an accepted fact : one attack of black-water fever
predisposes to another, so that eventually every attack of malarial fever will take this
form. I think this explains the fact of one European at the north of Lake Nyasa having
had ten consecutive attacks in a period of three years.
From the suddenness of its onset and the equal suddenness of its disappearance,
together with its remarkable tendency in some cases to come on in paroxysms, I think
that the explanation is to be found in the study of the neurotic supply of the kidney.
It is remarkable, too, that women and weakly persons are seldom affected. It seems
to be confined to young, healthy individuals, in whom there is great muscular waste. It
comes on, too, after a long spell of the most robust health, and that with great sudden-
ness. I think, too, that it is a disease of mountainous regions. It does occur in the
lower parts, but my observation leads me to affirm that it is more prevalent in hilly
districts in the centre of malarious regions.
APPENDIX II.
HINTS AS TO OUTFIT FOR BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
i. FLANNEL is a great mistake unless it is mixed with a large proportion of silk. Pure
flannel is an abomination in the tropics. Either on account of some inherent property of
the wool, or probably of some chemical compound with which it is prepared, the action
of perspiration on the flannel in a tropical country is to at once create a most offensive
smell, even in persons who are constantly changing their clothes, and who attend to
personal cleanliness. Moreover, no flannel yet invented (all advertisements on the
subject are to be absolutely disbelieved) ever failed to shrink into unwearableness after,
at most, the third washing. Again, the feel of the flannel on the skin in a warm climate
is singularly irritating and hurtful. Persons going to Africa are strongly advised to
wear not flannel, but either silk and wool underclothing, or merino. Merino is excellent.
It is cleanly, absolutely odourless, stands any amount of washing, and is pleasant in
contact with the skin. Under almost all circumstances save those where the temperature
rises above 100 degrees in the shade, a merino under-garment should always be worn
1 86 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
next the skin, night and day, over the chest and stomach, though for the sake of clean-
liness the garment should be constantly changed. Especially is this necessary at night
time, when very dangerous chills often occur by the sudden lowering of the temperature
after midnight and the exposure of the naked body to this lowered temperature when
covered with perspiration. The best form of underclothing of this kind is merino vests
and merino drawers. Pantaloons are preferable to the short drawers which are sometimes
worn, which reach no further down than the knee. The reason of this is that it is as
well to protect the calf of the leg as much as possible from the attacks of insects which
may succeed in piercing the trousers with their probosces, but find it difficult to get
through the merino as well. Many of the ulcers from which people suffer in Central
Africa have their origin in mosquito bites, or in the attacks of certain flies which deposit
their eggs under the skin. While a merino vest should be worn next the skin at night,
the drawers, of course, are removed, and it is only the upper part of the body (especially
the stomach) which requires careful protection from chill. Night-gowns are quite obsolete.
I believe these indecent inadequacies still survive in remote parts of the United Kingdom
and on the benighted " Continent," but they have long since been banished from the
life of Europeans in the tropics. Sleeping suits or paijamas are worn. These consist of
a jacket and trousers. They can be obtained at any shop in London. The most suitable
material is of silk and wool, but cotton paijamas are quite sufficient for ordinary purposes,
provided a merino vest is worn. Clad in paijamas the wearer can with perfect propriety
walk about on the deck of a steamer or on the verandah of his house in the early
morning.
Another much praised invention which is almost useless in Central Africa is the pith
helmet. Such a thing, I suppose, is scarcely ever seen there now. By far the most
suitable hat is a light canvas helmet or a large thick felt hat with a huge brim, which is
sufficiently stiff to turn up or down to shade the wearer's face or to allow the cool air to
have free access as the case may be The Terai hat is, on the whole, the best kind, but
it does not appear to me to have a sufficiently wide brim. I believe suitable felt hats,
cheap and of the kind I am inclined tc recommend, can be purchased at the Army and
Navy Stores. No hat should be heavy. All hats should, if possible, be ventilated by
small holes at the top. Another kind of hat, which is very useful and protects the head
a good deal from the sun, is the straw hat with a wide brim supplied to the blue-jackets
in the Navy in tropical countries. These are called, I believe, " Sennet " hats. Besides
other places, they can be obtained from Messrs. S. W. Silver and Co., of Cornhill.
A small round polo cap is very useful for wearing on the head when sitting on
verandahs, or under the awning of a steamer. To go about with a bare head outside a
house is often bad, as one is exposed to catching cold from the breeze, or may even feel
the effect of the sun through the awning of a steamer, or by refraction from a wall
or a piece of bare ground.
2. Clothes. — It is a good thing for a traveller to take out with him all his old English
clothes, which prove to be very useful in the cool uplands of British Central Africa. A
warm great-coat is absolutely essential. It should be remembered that people suffer much
more from cold in British ^Central Africa than they do from heat.1 A macintosh which
will not come to pieces in warm weather is also useful for going about in the rain. A man
should never be without his great coat in Central Africa. He may need it at any moment,
especially if he has been perspiring freely and evening is drawing near. The evening
dress, which is usually worn by employes of the British Central Africa Administration,
consists of an ordinary dress coat, white shirt, white tie, dress waistcoat of yellow cloth
with brass buttons, and black trousers. A short evening coat without tails is often worn.
Lounge coats and smoking jackets come in very handy.
Amongst other exposed absurdities are knee-boots, that is to say, boots which are
i N.B.— The great coat should not fit tightly to the figure; it should be comfortably loose and provided
with a very deep collar which can, if necessary, be turned up to shield the neck and throat, and reach
almost to the back of the head.
APPENDICES 187
continued up to the knee. They are soon discarded in Central Africa as uncomfortable
and umvearable. Field boots should be of tanned leather, laced up and only coming
to the ankle. The soles should be thick, but the boots must be light and not cumber-
some. When walking or riding, cloth gaiters from the ankle to the knee, or spats
from the instep to half way up the calf of the leg, are comfortable, suitable, and usually
worn. Cloth or canvas gaiters are better than leather, as leather becomes so hard in
this climate. Some people wear knickerbockers. This involves stockings however,
and stockings are very hot for the legs, and the attempt to keep them up with garters
causes a disagreeable constriction about the knee. It is much better to have trousers
that can be pulled up slightly and the gaiters buttoned over them. The trousers
can then be slightly folded over the top of the gaiter or the spat. A thick cloth
cape to cover the shoulders and button round the throat is very convenient when riding
or bicycling (and already a good deal of bicycling is done in Central Africa) or driving,
when it is not convenient to take an umbrella.
3. Umbrellas. — One black silk umbrella for the rain should be taken, but several
good strong light sun umbrellas must be taken. These should be double-lined, with a
space between the linings — white outside and green within. They must be very light
to hold. The reason why a helmet is such a mistake as a protection from the sun
is that besides being cumbersome and ugly, it at most shields the top of the head, or
the head and neck. Where the sun is felt even more than on the head is on the
shoulders and along the spine. To shield the body from the sun in fact, the only way
is to carry a white umbrella, and this should be done on almost all occasions except
when to do such a thing would be positively ridiculous, as, for instance, in the middle
of a battle. There is no more effectual aid to the maintenance of health than to
constantly carry a white umbrella when compelled to face the strong sunshine.
4. Socks, &c. — Stockings I have already alluded to as inconvenient for various
reasons. Socks should be of merino. Cotton socks though cool wear out very rapidly.
The merino socks should be not too thick and must be well-fitting to the foot, as if
they are the least bit too large the redundancy of sock makes walking uncomfortable,
and often causes blisters. Plenty of handkerchiefs should be taken, cotton and silk.
One or two mufflers for the neck are good when the traveller is on the cold uplands.
5. Boots. — In addition to ankle boots several pairs of light shoes should be taken,
both shoes that can be blacked and that look smart, and tennis shoes. There should of
course be one pair of slippers. Anyone who intends to stay any length of time at the
European settlements will require at least one pair of nice-looking patent leather boots
and a pair of pumps for evening wear.
Generally, I may say this about clothing, that a man should always strive to dress
neatly and becomingly in Central Africa, or he will quickly lapse into a slovenly state of
existence. At Blantyre and at Zomba people are almost always expected to dress for
dinner at the various dinner parties, and to appear nicely dressed at church on Sundays,
and if anyone imagines he is going out amongst a lot of rough pioneers who chiefly dress
in red flannel shirts and buckskin breeches, he will be vastly surprised when he finds out
how very carefully and becomingly as a rule the men do dress in Central Africa, whether
they be officials, missionaries, planters or traders.
6. Guns. — As a rule guns, rifles and revolvers can be purchased in British Central
Africa at the sales which take place from time to time of the effects of sportsmen who
are returning home. Nearly every dry season a number of people come out to shoot big
game, and to avoid the expense of the carriage often sell some of their guns before leaving
the country. It is not as a rule wise for anyone who is not going to Central Africa
specially for sport, to furnish himself with a large armament, before he gets to understand
pretty clearly what kind of gun suits him best for that country. A double-barrelled
i2-bore shot gun is always very useful. The right barrel should be choke bore and the
1 88 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
other not, so that in the left barrel bullet cartridges can, if necessary, be used, as
sometimes when one is out after guinea-fowl, one might meet a lion or an antelope.
The best kinds of shot are Swan shot; "A. A. A. "; No. i ; No. 2 ; and No. 5. No. 5 is
useful for pigeons and similar birds; as a rule however most African birds that the
average man wants to shoot will succumb to little less in size than the No. 2 shot. It will
be found that duck require either No. 2 or A.A.A., and Swan shot is useful for very big
water birds or small mammals. For the average individual the best rifle is the '450 single
barrelled. Some people speak highly of the Lee-Metford, but though very deadly if
the bullet comes in contact with the bone, its cartridge does not seem to have the same
stopping effect where it merely pierces through the fleshy parts. A Martini-Henry is a
very useful weapon. Elephant rifles are quite a special subject in themselves and the
enquirer is referred to the various articles which have appeared on the subject in the Field,
or have been written by Mr. Selous and other authorities. The revolver is not, as a rule,
a very useful weapon, except for accidentally shooting oneself.
7. Plenty of books should be taken for reading. The traveller will miss books
terribly if he is much alone in the evenings. Messrs. Mudie sell at a very cheap rate
library books that have been some three months in circulation and all the great pub-
lishers nowadays issue cheap " Colonial " editions of all new and striking books. Maps
of B. C. A. can be obtained from Mr. J. G. Bartholomew, Edinburgh, and Messrs.
Stanford, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross.
8. Boxes. — No leather portmanteaus or wooden boxes should be taken, as they are
liable to the attacks of white ants, and also suffer from the damp climate. All boxes
should be of tin. The Army and Navy Stores and Messrs. Silver thoroughly understand
the kind wanted. No boxes should be large and no packages should weigh more than
55 Ibs. on account of the porterage on men's heads. The leather valise or dressing bag
is useful and permissible. One or more rugs should certainly be taken, and a thoroughly
waterproof " hold-all " is a very useful thing. Beds and tents are best obtained locally,
as the right kinds are for sale at the various stores ; but if it is desired to take one's own
tent out then Messrs. Benjamin Edgington, of London Bridge, know exactly what is
required for Central Africa, and can be thoroughly depended upon. The same firm
supplies excellent camp furniture. I especially recommend their folding camp tables.
A good dispatch-box is very useful, and Messrs. Silver, of Cornhill, supply very good
articles of this description.
8. Sketching materials. — If the traveller intends to sketch or to photograph he should
get his materials in London, as they are amongst the few things that cannot be purchased
in British Central Africa. As regards sketching materials, Messrs. Kemp and Co., near
Victoria Station, S.W., have for a long time past been in the habit of supplying me with
what is required for Africa, and thoroughly understand the subject ; and their materials
have always proved to be suited to the exigencies of the climate.
9. Provisions of all kinds are much better purchased at the stores in British Central
Africa ; almost the same may be said for drugs, but a small private medicine chest is not
a bad thing, and can be procured from Messrs. Burroughs and Wellcome, of Holborn.
I think this constitutes almost all the things which the average traveller should
burden himself with before leaving England for British Central Africa. It must be
remembered that the better extreme to go to of the two is to buy too little rather than
too much, as many more things can be procured locally than one would generally
suppose, and the prices at the stores in British Central Africa, compared to Matabeleland
and the inner parts of South Africa, are very reasonable, on account of the cheapness
of transport and the low Customs duties. Moreover it is not until a man is already
established in Central Africa that he realises his own wants. He is then able to write
home and order such things as he specially requires.
±
35°*;
CHAPTER VII.
MISSIONARIES.
THERE are at present eight Missionary Societies at work in the eastern
half of British Central Africa1 :—
I. The Universities Mission, which is Anglican, occupies the eastern
shore of Lake Nyasa, the islands of Likoma and Chisumula, and has a station
at Fort Johnston at the south end of the lake. The same mission is also
strongly established at Kotakota in the Marimba district on the south-west
coast of Lake Nyasa. They are probably about to build a large station at or
near Fort Mangoche in Zarafi's country. Outside British territory they have
(besides their stations in Eastern Africa) an establishment on the plateau of
Unango in Portuguese Nyasaland. This mission is presided over by Dr. Hine,
Bishop of Likoma.
2. The Livingstonia Mission of the Free Church of Scotland occupies the
western and north-western parts of the Protectorate.
3. The Church of Scotland East African Mission, better known perhaps as
the " Blantyre Mission," has stations in the Shire Highlands.
4. The London Missionary Society (Independents or Wesleyans) has been
long established on Lake Tanganyika. Its settlements are now confined to the
British coast of that lake and to the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau southwards, but
I believe they will be opening shortly a station on Lake Mweru.
5. The Algerian Mission of the White Fathers (Roman Catholic), besides
being represented by many stations on German or Belgian territory in the
Tanganyika district, has recently established itself on the Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau and at one or two places in the Luemba country in the valley of the
Chambezi.
6. The Dutch Reformed Church Mission (Dutch Calvinists), originally a
branch of the Livingstonia Mission, has been established for some years in
Central and Southern Angoniland.
7. The Zambezi Industrial Mission (Undenominational) works in Southern
Angoniland in the Shire province.
8. The Nyasa Baptist Industrial Mission (Baptist) has stations in the
Blantyre district.
In addition to this might almost be included the Jesuit Mission on the
Zambezi, which was until recently established in the eastern part of the Mlanje
district. Their stations were attacked and destroyed by the Yao chief,
Matipwiri, who was subsequently punished for this action by the Administration,
and is now exiled to Port Herald on the Lower Shire. It is therefore expected
that the Jesuit Missionaries on the Zambezi will recommence their work in the
south-eastern portion of the British Central Africa Protectorate.
1 For Map showing Mission Stations see page 392.
189
1 9o BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
The enumeration of the Missionary Societies at work in the whole of British
Central Africa might be completed by citing the Jesuits on the Central Zambezi,
and the French Evangelical Mission which has been so long and successfully at
work in the Barutse country on the Upper Zambezi.
A Missionary Society originally founded by F. S. Arnot (Plymouth Brethren)
has been for some years past established in Katanga, in the south part of the
Congo Free State. This mission, I believe, contemplates founding stations on
Lake Mweru within British territory, and I believe it has three stations on or
near the River Kafue in Eastern Barutseland.
The past history of the more important and longest established Missions has
been touched on in the general review of the history of British Central Africa.
Further details concerning the number of their stations, the attendances at their
schools and churches and other technical information is given in my report to
the Foreign Office, "Africa No. 5, 1896," and it would be tedious to repeat the
statistics here. I will confine myself in the present chapter to treating all
missionary work in. this part of Central Africa in a more generalised manner,
giving my impressions as the opinions of any ordinary, fair-minded individual
who wishes to arrive at true conclusions uninfluenced by sentiment or
prejudice.
No person who desires to make a truthful statement would deny the great
good effected by missionary enterprise in Central Africa. Yet why is it that in
some quarters missionaries are heartily disliked, and the benefit of their work
is denied or depreciated, even occasionally by clerics who, from a religious point
of view, should be their natural supporters? If, on the one hand, the impartial
observer must pronounce a verdict regarding the value of missionary work in
Central Africa which is almost wholly in its favour, on the other hand he is
compelled to ackowledge the existence of the prejudice and dislike with which
missionaries are regarded by other white men not following the same career.
The causes of this feeling in my opinion are two — (i) The Cant which by
some unaccountable fatality seems to be inseparably connected with missionary
work, and (2) the arrogant demeanour often assumed by missionaries towards
men who are not of their manner of thought and practice, though not necessarily
men of evil life.
I think these two causes exist still, and were so prominent in past times that
they are quite sufficient to account for what is really a long continued and
unreasonable aspersion of the value of missionary work. It will be seen from
the tenour of my remarks that I am striving to write on this difficult question
from the point of view of an absolutely impartial outsider — let us say, for
a moment, from the point of view of one who might be of any religion, or none
at all. I take up this position because I honestly believe that much of the work
done by European missionaries in Africa is of a kind which can be appreciated
and praised without reserve by any fair-minded Muslim, Hindu, or Agnostic.
Any thoughtful cultured man of no matter what religion, who is alive to
the interests of humanity in general, must after careful examination of their
work accord this meed of praise to the results which have followed the attempts
to evangelise Central Africa.
Let us take into consideration the first count of the indictment against
missionaries : Cant. Although matters have much improved under this heading
since the " forties," when Cant reached an appalling pitch, and accounts weie
written of missionary work which are almost too repulsive for modern
taste on that account (driving even sincere Christians into ribaldry and
MISSIONARIES
191
parody, as a natural relief), cant still exists, as can be seen by anyone
who reads most missionary journals and hears many missionaries discourse.
It exists ordinarily amongst the rawest and newest of missionaries and in
the youngest of the missionary societies. In such missions as those of
the Universities, the Church of Scotland and the Livingstonia Free Church,
cant is extinct to a great extent locally, though it still lingers in the home
compilations, in the journals which professedly give an account of the work of
these establishments and which are published for home consumption. Sincere
friends of mission work, such
as Robert Needham Cust and
Canon Isaac Taylor, have at
times expressed their wonder-
ment that missionaries should
think it right or necessary to
attach to descriptions of their
work given verbally or in writing
such expressions of mawkish
piety, and so many statements
which are an insidious perversion
of the truth. In the latter case
I can only imagine it is done on
the assumption once attributed
to the Jesuits, that it is right to
do evil that good may come :
that the missionaries are as con-
vinced as I am of the ultimate
good they effect, and that to
encourage the British public to
find funds for the carrying on of
such work they think it excus-
able or even lawful to "gammon"
them, if I may put it vulgarly,
to repeat speeches of high-flown
piety, on the part of savage and
uncultured converts, which could
not have been uttered with
serious consciousness of their
meaning, and, indeed, could
never have been formulated
from such poor arrested brains.
Then again — especially in the case of newly-formed missionary societies
who, in the rush of unreasoning enthusiasm have embarked on African
evangelisation without counting the cost or making the necessary preparations
— articles too profane to be quoted are written of how God has taken to Himself
" dear Sister So-and-so " or " Brother Somebody-else," to " cherish them on
high " and give them a reward for their labours, as if there had been a
special intervention of providence, when to the outside observer it is obvious
that the sister or brother would never have died or even been ill if he or
she had been properly housed or properly fed. My indictment on this score
is not half strong enough. I kept by me at one time the journals and records
of certain missionary societies, intending to quote them in some such
1. BISHOl' HORNBY (FORMERLY OF NYASALAND)
2. THE LATE BISHOP MAPLES, OF LIKOMA
192 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
book as this: a few months ago, however, I tore them up, as they were not
wholesome literature, and perhaps I should have been flogging a dead horse
in laying bare to the public this awful accumulation of Cant, when I knew such
cant to be as strongly condemned as I can condemn it by missionaries of old
standing, and when I began to see so many signs of its rapid disappearance.
Missionary work in British Central Africa, believe me, has only to tell the plain
truth and nothing but the truth to secure sympathy and support. Let the
societies cease to humbug the people, let them tell frankly of their trials, their
sorrows, their disappointments, as well as of their successes, and the sympathy
created by the truthful picture which will then be rendered of the great struggle
against spiritual darkness and savagery will be far stronger than the limited
support which is accorded in sectarian circles, when the vulgarest and coarsest
instincts of the unlettered Christian are appealed to by the aid of stupid
falsehoods, lies of that worst kind which are usually founded on a substratum
of truth.
The second complaint against missionaries is on the score of their arrogant
demeanour. Some of the average European pioneers are not, I am sorry to
say, very creditable specimens of mankind. They are aggressively ungodly,
they put no check on their lusts ; released from the restraints of civilisation and
the terror of " what people may say," they are capable of almost any degree of
wickedness ; but the missionary is too apt to assume that all new Europeans
with whom he comes in contact are of this class, and that because they do not
belong to a mission they are necessarily wicked men ; and he shows this so
plainly in his manner that the result is naturally a reciprocal suspicion and
dislike on the part of the stranger layman. There is an undoubted tendency
on the part of missionaries to hold and set forth the opinion that no one ever
did any good in Africa but themselves. That they have done more good than
armies, navies, conferences and treaties have yet done, I am prepared to admit ;
that they have prepared the way for the direct and just rule of European
Powers and for the extension of sound and honest commerce I have frequently
asserted ; but they are themselves to some extent only a passing phase, only
the John-the-Baptists, the forerunners of organized churches and settled social
politics. It is their belief that they hold an always privileged position, that
they are never to fit into their proper places in an organized European com-
munity, which causes so much friction between them and the other European
settlers or lay officials by whom they are gradually being far outnumbered ; nor
are they always ready to recognise that there is some credit due to the
missionaries of commerce as well as to the missionaries of religion ; that the
savage man cannot live decently by faith alone ; that he must have something
to occupy his mind besides religion, and that unless his attention is drawn to
hard work and to gaining money in an honest manner, " Satan will find some
mischief still for his idle hands to do."
Now let me leave off preaching and try to give my readers some idea of
what missionary life is like in Central Africa, always from the point of view
of the lay traveller and dispassionate investigator.1
Try, reader, to imagine yourself in the position of some weary man travelling
in Central Africa on Government business, or as a pioneer trader, or engaged in
1 To do this I find myself obliged to quote to some extent from an article on Missionaries which I
wrote for the Nineteenth Century Review of November, 1887, but which, though ten years old, still gives
what I believe to be such a faithful general picture of the average missionary home in Central Africa that
in some passages I find it difficult to describe the same in other language.
MISSIONARIES 193
natural history research, or merely for the sake of exploration or sport. You
have just quitted the slightly civilised coast-belt for the little known and
savage interior, and you may have sickened with the first touch of fever. With
all the enthusiasm for exploration which leads most white men into this un-
healthy but fascinating continent, you feel temporarily depressed and saddened
at the snapping of all ties which bind you to the world of culture and comfort :
your new tent is leaky and lets in the rain, or it fails to mitigate the blazing
heat of noontide ; your untried cook cannot at once acquire the art of pro-
ducing a decent meal amid the many difficulties of camp life ; you have long
ceased to eat bread, or the fragments of mouldy toast that may be served up
to you are piteous relics of the pleasant sojourn at some relatively civilised
town on the coast whence you started.
Or, it may be, the circumstances under which you are travelling are
somewhat different. You are at the end of some great journey, some expedi-
tion which has had its moments of exhilarating success, of wonderful discovery,
but now the excitement is over and is succeeded by a dull apathy that is almost
despair : you no longer anticipate with a joy that can scarcely be outwardly
repressed the pleasures which are about to reward your months of toil, privation
and danger — the first night's sleep -in a comfortable and spacious bed, the
first well-cooked meal into which you will crowd all your favourite delicacies,
the first good concert or theatre you will attend ; you are weary of running
over in your mind the public dinners that may be given to you or the praises
of scientific societies which will reward your discoveries ; you merely confine
yourself to reflecting dully on the probabilities of reaching your destination
alive and of doubting whether under any circumstances, and especially the
present ones, life is worth living. In either case, whether your work lies
behind you, finished, or before you, to be accomplished, you jog along the
narrow winding path, tired, alone, heart-sick, home-sick, your sore and weary
feet tripping over stocks and stones, your aching eyes fixed on the ground,
seeing nothing, your face scorched with the hot wind, your hands scratched
with the grass blades that have to be continually pushed aside in your dogged
progress. Perhaps even you may be enduring worse discomfort, you may be
drenched to the skin — macintosh notwithstanding — in some torrential downpour;
and overweighted with your heavy, streaming rain-coat, you stagger along half
blindly through slushy mud and soaked vegetation. Then you hear your guide
saying to someone that he recognises the district, that the white man's house is
near at hand. "What white man?" you ask apathetically, too weary to show
an interest in anything. " People of the Mission," the guide replies, and then
if you only know of this modern type of evangelist by tradition you will smile
bitterly and say to yourself, " Oh, a missionary ! H'm, I don't feel much in
a mood to pray or sing hymns just now ! " Then you continue plodding on
in stupid resignation to whatever fate awaits you.
I will suppose, to make this picture more effective, that it is now late
afternoon. The sun — if it is the sun that has chiefly troubled you during
the day's march — is at last sinking behind an imposing clump of forest trees,
and the fierce heat of noon is beginning to be tempered by the rising breeze.
Or the murky rain clouds are drifting away in ragged, piled up masses to
the east, leaving a large space of the western heavens clear ; and this expanse
of open sky has become a pale lemon-yellow through the diffused misty glory
of the declining sun. The surrounding country has a more pleasing appear-
ance. Here and there in the distance are bright green and yellow patches
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
diversifying the grey scrub and sombre forest, and these clearly indicate the
existence of plantations, while the vicinity of man is proved by occasional
puffs and spirals of blue smoke where the natives are burning weeds. The
path, too, is clearer, wider, and better made ; the obtrusive wayside vegetation
has been checked and no longer impedes your progress. Then you begin to
meet occasional inhabitants of the distant unseen settlements — women with
babies slung on their backs and earthen pitchers poised on their heads on
their way to the spring to obtain their evening supply of water ; or men
returning from the chase armed with long-barrelled ancient- looking guns,
spears, assegais, or clubs, and accompanied by several snarling curs, whose
collars are hung with little bells. To your surprise, instead of plunging
terror stricken into the bush or assuming a defiant and hostile attitude, each
native greets you politely with
" Morning ! Goo' morning ! " for
they have learned from the mis-
sionaries our matutinal salutation,
which they indifferently make use
of at all hours of the day and
night. On each side of the widened
road a straggling row of young
plantain trees begins to make its
appearance, evidently planted with
the view of its forming ultimately
a shady avenue : then behind a
wooden fence appear thriving
plantations of vegetables and
hedges of pine-apples, and at last,
a turn in the road brings into
view a garden of flowers and
flowering shrubs — blazing with
brilliant masses of colour — and a long, low-built dwelling house of one storey,
with white-washed walls, green window shutters, and a wide overhanging roof
of thatch forming a verandah round the building. Behind the house are other
dwellings of a humbler architecture, more or less hidden with green shrubs
and trees ; and further in the background is a huge barn-like building, also
white-washed and with a thatched roof, but having about it an indefinably
ecclesiastical air, and this is certain to be a church, possibly used as a school
also during the week.
As you are toiling up the red path towards the house, taking in all these
details with slow and tired comprehension, there comes towards you, half
striding, half running, a white man whose outward presentment is something
like the building you have taken for a chapel — a sort of compromise between
homely rusticity and ecclesiastical primness. Probably he wears a large
soft, grey felt hat with a broad brim, a crumpled white tie, a long grey
clerical coat, cut close up to the neck, grey breeches and gaiters, and heavy
boots. His face has homely features, but it is pleasantly lit up with an
expression of hearty kindliness.
Behind your new acquaintance — who has introduced himself to you as
the agent of some well-known British Protestant mission — follow half-a-dozen
loutish boys, mostly clad in gay coloured jerseys or shirts, with Manchester
cottons round their lower limbs, one or two more favoured ones being
'E CHURCH AT MSUMBA, LAKE NYASA
(UNIVERSITIES MISSION)
MISSIONARIES 195
hideously clothed in coats and trousers. These lads have lost the easy
carriage and independent bearing of the unsophisticated native, and shuffle
and slouch along in a lazy, loose-jointed manner that is a distinct irritation
to a person of energetic, active temperament, and their semi-circular grin as
they lounge up to you with a loud greeting produces on your part an
involuntary frown rather than an answering smile. In a half-hearted manner
they relieve your foremost porters of their burdens, and the straggling
procession proceeds on its way up the red clay path and through the flower
garden towards the house. It is probable that at the head of the steps
leading to the raised verandah, the missionary's wife awaits you, clasping and
unclasping her hands, and letting her smile wax and wane as your slow
approach through the garden gives her a slightly nervous feeling of conscious
expectancy. Involuntarily her hand goes to her throat — yes ! the gold locket
is there ; she has not forgotten it. She glances at the little bouquet of
flowers in her bosom— how quickly they are fading in the hot air! She
smoothes the crumpled pale blue ribbons that give her homely dress an
almost pathetic remembrance of former smartness, and pulls out the sleeve
puffs ; touches her hair to ascertain its smoothness ; shakes out the limp
folds of her skirt ; clears her throat ; calls up the smile again, now that you
are close, and finally loses all affectation when she takes your hand and
gazes into your pale, tired, spiritless face, and in a burst of womanly pity
bids you welcome, and hurries away to make arrangements for your comfort.
When you have bathed and changed your clothes, a pleasant languor
succeeds your crushing fatigue. The missionary's wife is busy in her
household, devising additions to the evening meal ; the missionary has
excused himself, and is gone to wind up the school affairs, and dismiss the
scholars from the chapel. You are left for a short, time in not unwelcome
solitude. As you sit in the porch, gazing dreamily on the glowing sunset,
and inhaling the strong, sweet, mingled perfume of the nicotianas, frangipanis,
mignonette, and lilies in the garden, your ears catch the shrill, clear voices
of children singing five verses of an evening hymn. Were you with them
in the building, the glib utterance, thin melody, and nasal twang of the
performance would jar upon you ; as it is, here, softened by distance, it
strikes a sweet note in the unruffled harmony of your surroundings. From
the native village, half hidden among the tall umbrageous trees, which stand
out in velvet blackness against the western sky, comes the faint murmur of
voices ; and an occasional laugh of the women and girls, returning with their
pitchers from the water-course, echoes pleasantly through the air. In the
yellow-flowered thorn hedge at the bottom of the garden a bulbul l is piping
and warbling his mellow notes. You feel enveloped in an atmosphere of
peace, which is doubly refreshing because of its contrast to the weary tenour
of your past life.
The loud clanging of the school bell disturbs your reverie. The
missionary is once more at your side with many excuses for having for a
brief while left you to your own devices. The evening meal is announced,
and you follow your host to the dining - room, or, rather, the one large
sitting-room of his house. Here his wife, seated at the table before an ample
tea-tray, welcomes you to the repast, and perhaps adds a quite unnecessary
apology for its character. As you unfold your clean napkin, you glance
1 Pycnonotus. In parts of the Shire Highlands and other mountainous districts there are thrushes
that sing sweetly.
196 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
over the table and are quite satisfied with your present lot. There is, for
instance, to open the repast, a tureen of good chicken soup ; and a cold pigeon
pie, a rolled tongue, sardines, and boiled eggs are other items. There
are dishes of home-grown potatoes baked in their skins, and golden slices of
fried plantain. A superb pineapple imparts its fragrance to the mingled
odours of the steaming tea and the savoury broth. Little glass dishes of
luscious jams and sweet biscuits fill up spare gaps in between the pieces dc
resistance, and it is probable that a few bright flowers in a slender vase give
a grace to the outspread meal which clearly indicates feminine supervision.
When your thoughts and your gaze are wandering thus, you see your hostess
suddenly pause in the tea-outpouring, and lower her head and clasp her hands,
while your host, who has once or twice endeavoured to arrest your attention,
rises somewhat bashfully and pronounces a brief benediction on the repast.
Then, this duty over, he serves and carves and cuts with a will. If you are
a man of any tact, and desire to administer a little harmless flattery to your
kind hosts, you will compliment your hostess on her delicious tea. Then
she will tell you of the difficulties which attend the procuring of fresh milk
in Africa, and of how, in her case, these difficulties have been met and
conquered. She will enumerate her nanny-goats, and describe the vagaries
of her half-wild cow. And you must especially dwell on the excellence
of the cold pigeon-pie. This will no doubt elicit from your hostess the
avowal — with a little blushing — that she herself made it. Her husband shot
the pretty green fruit-pigeons — " poor little things ! it seems a shame, doesn't
it?"— and she made the pie-crust. "You know the native girls can learn to
cook most things, but they never can be taught to make pastry, so I always
go into the kitchen and do that myself."
When the meal is over, you are doubtless made to take the easiest chair,
which is drawn up to the open brick fire-place, where fragrant logs are
burning. You really feel permeated with comfort, while gratitude for the
kindness shown you lends, or ought to lend, a brighter look to your eyes
and a more sympathetic tone to your voice. The missionary's wife has
taken up some needlework to occupy her fingers. Her husband, out of
politeness, is sitting idle with his hands before him, trying to make con-
versation ; but if you question him adroitly, you will soon find out that he
has some hobby that he rides, some favourite pursuit that he follows in his
leisure time. Perhaps it is the study of the native language ; and on your
expressing an encouraging interest, he will bring out delightedly his bulky
manuscript vocabularies and chatter to you of prefixes and suffixes and
infixes, of clicks and nasals, guttural - labials, aspirated sibilants, and faucal
sounds — all the cacophony of barbarous tongues. Or you will discover that
his passion is entomology, and a very little persuasion will induce him to
open his boxes and tins, redolent of camphor, and to fetch down from his
study -shelves his spirit -jars, and to display before your somewhat wearied
gaze a bewildering collection of insect forms — beetles big as mice, and
gorgeously clad in golden-green and chestnut-brown, tiny jewel-like beetles
caught in the calyces of orchids, fantastic longicorns, clumsy scarabs, lovely
chafers, brilliant cantharides, all the coleopterous forms of the surrounding
district. He will recall your wandering attention to a marvellous mantis,
mimicking a large green leaf to perfection, or assuming the form and
appearance of a dry "branching twig. He will show you butterflies from the
forest which, when their wings are folded, can scarcely be distinguished
MISSIONARIES 197
from a dead leaf, or other splendid Papilionidce of the tropics not afraid to
exhibit their beauties openly, and revelling in the display of brilliant colours,
attractive markings, and eccentric shapes. Then will follow for your
inspection rows of bugs, scarlet and green, yellow and black ; repulsive
cicadas with huge stupid heads and disgusting fat bodies, giving a nasty
oily odour which even the camphor cannot suppress ; dapper-looking grass-
hoppers, neatly and prettily coloured; and dragon - flies with gauzy wings,
some purple-blue, some orange, others umber-brown or crimson.
If you are not reviewing insects or discussing languages, you may be turning
over portfolios of dried plants; or it is birds that the missionary shoots and
skins, or geological specimens that he collects, or he may even concentrate his
interest exclusively within the narrow domain of spiders or land shells. What-
ever his hobby may be, having once started him off, it is hard to arrest him,
and with the best intentions you find yourself after a little while arduously
acting an interest you cease to feel, and paralysing the muscles of your jaws
with suppressed yawns. The missionary's wife detects your fatigue. Long use
has accustomed her to regard her husband's favourite pursuit with indulgent
unconcern; so rising, and gathering her needlework together, she says, "John,
it is time for prayers; I am sure Mr. So-and-so must be tired." The obedient
husband assents, puts away with a sigh his manuscripts, or his collections, and
goes outside into the verandah, to ring the bell. Then he returns with //;/ visage
de circonstance, gets down his big Bible and seats himself in the armchair at the
head of the table. Presently there is a whispering, giggling, and shuffling in
the passage, and in come the loutish boys you have seen before. They are
lugging along some wooden forms, which they place in the room near the door.
Then they retreat and return again, this time bearing piles of Bibles and paper-
covered hymn-books. They are followed by a small number of lollopy girls,
some clad in loose garments like short nightgowns, a few bearing still an
appearance of being but half reclaimed and in their savage innocence scorning
to hide their virginal breasts in a frowsy gown, while the draping of the light
cottons round their limbs and heads retains an element of innate good taste
which the older, more civilised girls have lost. These latter, too, are oppressed
with a sense of self-consciousness at the sight of a stranger, and alternately
glance at you with sidelong languishing looks, and then make you the subject
<>f sniggering whispers among themselves, until they are checked by a stern
look from their mistress, which makes their eyes drop with one accord on their
open Bibles. After prayers are over the youths drag out the forms again, the
maidens bob and curtsey, and each with shrill monotony yelps out, "' Good night,
ma'am; good night, sah," to which your host and hostess reply, with wearisome
punctiliousness, "Good night, Amelia, good night, Florence, good night,
Susannah, good night, Rebecca," and so on to the end of the list. Then
you stand for a few minutes purposeless, gazing at the prints of Bible subjects
hung round the walls, staring vacantly at your hostess's sewing machine, opening
the gift books on the table or softly trying the harmonium with one finger and
an intermittent pressure on the pedals. The missionary's wife, who has just
been with her servants to ascertain that all your requirements in your bedroom
have been anticipated, returns and bids you good night with a kindly-worded
wish that you may benefit by your night's rest. You chat a few minutes longer
with your host, and then repair to your bedroom, where you will be sure to find
a comfortable bed and a shelf of books, with one of which you beguile the
moments till sleep comes to close your tired eyelids.
198 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Perhaps in the morning you awake ill with threatened fever. Sick, dazed,
and trembling, you attempt to dress, but your host, who is learned in the
treatment of such maladies, insists on your returning to bed where for days
to come you toss and rave, while the vulture Death approaches in ever-narrowing
circles, until by patient nursing, thoughtful care, unwearying attention the
missionary and his wife have conquered the disease and restored you to health.
Or, more probably, the first night's quiet rest under a rain-tight roof, the good
food and cheering kindness of your evening's entertainment at the mission, have
successfully dispelled the incipient malady, and at the clanging of the school-
bell you awake from slumber, to find yourself light-hearted and full of energy,
braced by this little interlude of comfort to face with stout determination the
solitude of the wilderness.
Your host and hostess are loth to part with you, and before you go, you
must in very grace inspect the church or chapel and the schools ; listen while
the school children sing a simple English glee, and " God Save the Queen "; look
over their specimens of hand-writing ; and give them easy problems to solve
in mental arithmetic. You may find it hard to take an interest in or suppress a
repugnance for the hulking youths or plump girls, who instead of being — as they
ought to be— engaged in hard wholesome manual labour, are dawdling and
yawning over slate and primer, and in whose faces sensual desires struggle
for expression with hypocritical sanctimoniousness ; but the little children,
the little, naked, bright-eyed children just captured from the village, and
now demurely ranged in rows, solemnly picking out and wrongly naming
cardboard A's and B's and C's — you surely can find no difficulty in loving
them, and saying something to encourage the missionary's wife, whose pets
they are? The school inspection over, you yield to very pressing invitations
and stay to an early luncheon, after which your host starts you on the right
road to your next destination, and your hostess slips some dainty package
of eatables into your satchel.
The foregoing sketch illustrates perhaps the commonest type of missionary
household in Central Africa, for the bulk of our missionaries are Protestants and
married. Most missionary societies distinctly encourage their agents to marry and
take their wives out to live with them in Africa. I only know of one Protestant
mission where celibacy is approved. That is the Universities Mission which
is mainly supported by the High Church party in England, and the way
in which its work is carried on is very similar to that of the Roman Catholic
missions. In some respect the system of the Anglicans and Roman Catholics
has much to recommend it. In their establishments there are separate com-
munities of men and women who lead a life which is monastic only in its
best features, and who not being troubled by any family affairs, can devote
themselves to the work of the mission as long as health permits. But then
it must be remembered that these celibate missions are to some extent served
by picked men and women, who are mostly volunteers and receive no salary
for their services, and are merely lodged and boarded at the expense of the
mission. This system of celibacy undoubtedly does not suit the British
missionary as a rule. Given an average man, young and in the prime of
manhood, who is sent to work in Africa unmarried, unsolaced by the company
of a wife, you will find him prone to be restless and discontented, or to find
a consolation which arouses scandal. Married to a wife of his own nation
and rank his whole career may be different. He is happy, contented, pure-
MISSIONARIES
199
minded, and disposed — from the fact of his having made his home there — to
devote himself to a life-long work in Africa : in fact, a married missionary
becomes more or less a missionary colonist, a result which the parent society
is desirous to attain. Moreover, it is certain that a married man has far more
influence among the natives, for to the African mind celibacy is either an
unnatural or dishonourable condition provoking suspicion or contempt. A
man-missionary, moreover, if he is to avoid the breath of scandal must have
as little to do with the native women-folk as possible. Yet in the interest of
his work it is quite as — perhaps more — important that the women should be
-
CHURCH OF THE CHURCH OK SCOTLAND MISSION, BI.AN I YKE
instructed as the men. As mothers and wives they wield an influence for
good and bad which it is hard to overrate. From an evangelistic point of
view women are needed for missionaries as well as men. This need is met
in the Roman Catholic Church and in some Anglican missions by the employ-
ment of good women as nuns or teaching sisters, and many of the Protestant
missions often have attached to them unmarried women whose usefulness in
teaching is quite equal to that of the men. But somehow I have noticed
that few of these unmarried women helpers, if they were of British nationality,
were rigid advocates of celibacy. Sooner or later most of them have found
missionary husbands, or have married Europeans outside the mission. It is
a subject on which I cannot dogmatise, having before my mind's eye many
examples of beautiful, pure, and most useful lives led in Eastern and Central
Africa by devoted women who lived a nun's life and were never married ;
and yet I must own these were the exceptions rather than the rule, and that
200 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
personally I shrink from advocating the sending out to Africa of young
unmarried women. It is far better they should go there, or live there, as
wives. Even in marriage, however, it is not right to conceal the fact that
there are drawbacks to the healthy happy life of the married white woman
in a barbarous country, with a sickly and , tropical climate. A blithe pretty
girl from one of the three countries which form the United Kingdom, with
the wild rose bloom on her cheek, arrives in Africa and espouses her missionary
husband ; or, it may be, that they are married in England, and make the
voyage out their honeymoon. Everything in her new life is a shock to her
mental and physical system. The unvarying, enervating heat and the enforced
changes in her mode of dress ; the strange tropical nature, overpowering at
first sight with its luxuriance and its amazing growths ; the different kind of
food, and even the altered manner of passing the hours of daylight ; sometimes,
too, the total absence of any kindred society of her own sex — all these new
experiences, united, form a complete reversal of her previous life, and must at
first react on her physical organisation. Then, too, think of a modest girl
who has been hitherto shielded with such jealous care from contact with
anything coarse or impure, so that she has, in fact, grown up stupidly innocent:
thi'nk of her suddenly thrust into a barbarous country where the natives are
naked and not ashamed, and where the conventions of decency are often
unknowingly transgressed by them in a way which to her English prudery
must appear very indecent ; where, too, the women among whom she has come
to minister, will, when she understands their language, talk glibly to her of
matters that the most depraved of her sex at home would hesitate to mention
to a young and inexperienced woman. The effect of this ordeal even on a
young wife is not without its risks of moral deterioration, and is sometimes
only acquired at the cost of a certain loss of delicacy.1 This rude contact
with coarse animal natures and their unrestrained display of animal instincts
tends imperceptibly to blunt a modest woman's susceptibilities, and even, in
time, to tinge her own thoughts and language with an unintentional coarseness.
Every year, however, makes it easier for married women to share the lot of
their husbands in countries like British Central Africa, where civilisation is
rapidly increasing and numbers are multiplying. The missionary societies
working here early recognised that it was their bounden duty to supply medical
missionaries to attend to the health of their European agents as well as to the
medical wants of the natives. In consequence of this the missionaries' wives
who have children have not suffered as has been the case in earlier days in
other parts of Africa. Children are frequently born to the married missionaries,
and are reared in the African climate with fair success, and eventually grow up
healthy boys and girls in England. Every year makes it easier for the
missionary to support his wife in Africa with reasonable comfort and chance
of good health. Women, indeed, seem to stand the climate better than men.
Moreover, nowadays, our ideas on the subject of women are widening; we are
coming to see that many burdens hitherto borne by the male can be equally
supported by the female. On the whole, I think women make better mission-
aries than men, and are always much more lovable in that aspect. Let them,
therefore, continue to go out to Africa as celibates if they are over thirty-five,
but otherwise as married women.
If the supposititious traveller, whose hypothetical experiences in one type of
1 I am writing of course of the average woman, not of exceptional characters who can walk
through any amount of mire and come out unsoilcd.
MISSIONARIES 201
missionary household I have already described, should stay at a station of the
Universities Mission in Central Africa or with any of the Roman Catholic
Fathers, he will have very pleasant experiences, though they may be of a
different nature. The good Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church, and
the Anglican priests from our two great Universities, will entertain him with a
whole-hearted hospitality, though he will not perhaps enter so much into their
private lives as with the married Protestant missionary. In the case of the
Anglican missionaries he will derive more the impression that he is staying at a
college, a college where there is very plain living and high thinking. With the
Roman Catholics the food is thoroughly good, well cooked and appetising, and
all reproach of luxury removed from it when it is understood that it is almost
all of local production and due to the energy and husbandry of the Fathers
and their pupils. I repeat, there is something very suggestive of the English
public-school about the Anglican missionaries. Athletics bulk largely and
wholesomely in their curriculum. Their boy pupils are soon taught to play
football and cricket, and to use the oar rather than the paddle ; but it cannot
be truthfully said that these missionaries keep a good table or care sufficiently
for their creature comforts. Their houses are often of poor construction, untidy
and unattractive : it is obvious that they are under no care of womankind.
The missionary snatches his meals hastily, scarcely tasting what goes down his
throat. On his untidy bureau there will be at one and the same time the newest
philosophical treatise from England and an ugly tin teapot of over-stewed tea.
But I shall not continue my criticisms in this respect, as these missionaries are
now much of the same opinion as myself on the subject of the sheer necessity
of comfort, if one intends to lead a healthy life in Africa, and I believe
steps are now being taken to supply each University Mission Station with one
or more lay brothers who will attend to household cares.
I have made many allusions to missionary hospitality. Missionaries and the
Portuguese are alike in this respect. As a people the Portuguese are the most
hospitable I know in any part of the globe's surface, showing their hospitality as
a kind of instinct alike to friend and enemy. The missionary, in the same way.
regards hospitality as a sacred duty. No matter whether his guest is disposed
to cavil at his work or to sympathise with it he gives him the best he has, and
often more than he himself can afford ; and too frequently the return both to
the Portuguese settler or official and to the missionary is thankless abuse, or
ridicule, on the part of the passing traveller. I have known explorers who owed
their lives and the success of their journeys and the saving of a vast amount
of expenditure to Portuguese officials, planters or traders, who helped them by
the way. When they returned to Europe, however, it was only to dilate on all
that was defective in the Portuguese system of government, or faulty in the
characteristics of the race. Likewise how many travellers and sportsmen have
lived for weeks light-heartedly at the expense of a missionary or of a series
of missionaries, and then have taken the earliest opportunity of sneering at
them and spreading calumnious reports as to their mode of life. I remember
an instance of this in one who is now dead and therefore shall be nameless.
He had visited the French priests at Bagamoyo, on the East Coast of Africa.
Wishing to do him honour as an explorer and an Englishman, the good Fathers
concerted together, and agreed to sacrifice their last bottle of champagne (kept
as an occasional medicine) in his honour. What was the result ? He returned
to Europe and said, "Those missionaries live like fighting-cocks, they drink-
champagne every clay."
202 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
How few of the many hundreds who have enjoyed missionary hospitality,
nursing and assistance have remembered that their entertainers were men
receiving salaries from ,£80 to .£300 a year, often with a wife and family to
maintain. How many have attempted to make any subsequent return for the
help afforded, not perhaps in monetary or other gifts, but in fair words.
It has been so fine a thing at first to encounter in the wilderness such
disinterested goodness, such heroic attempts in the face of the greatest
difficulties and dreariest discouragements to lead oneself and to teach others
to adopt the higher life, that your first impressions are of unbounded admiration
for the missionaries and their work. If you stay in the country, say three years,
your final verdict is likely to be that of your first impression ; but if you
frequent the mission for merely three weeks you will find yourself beginning
to criticise ; the demeanour of the mission girls has lost all shyness and may
even perhaps be lacking in modesty, for these young women when they get
beyond childhood have lost all fear of the white man and have not been
subjected to the excellent native discipline which enforces amongst the women
a modest bearing and a certain amount of deference towards people of the
opposite sex. You will, at first, be disagreeably impressed with the native
catechists, or readers, or deacons, or whatever title the trained native adherents
of the mission may bear : with their profuse display of religious phrases, their
clumsily cut European clothes,1 contrasting with an often sensual face, their off-
hand manners and great conceit. But pause a moment before you too hastily
condemn the results of mission teaching. These clothed negroes, whose very
clothing is an offence as it often induces uncleanly personal habits, and a con-
sequent disagreeable personal smell, and whose aping of European ways is a
provocation to criticism, are nevertheless more useful members of the community
than an untutored savage. They may be cheeky if you attempt, as many white
men do, a bullying manner, but they are men of the world. They will not offer
you physical violence nor attempt to oppose your researches into their country ;
on the contrary they will make common cause with you, and espouse your
cause if necessary against their wild brothers. They are now British subjects,
emphatically as much wedded to the British policy with all its mistakes and
even with any temporary injustice it may entail, as you are. Gradually they
or their descendants will find their proper place. When by education and
inherited culture they are on the level of the white man, then by all means let
them take their place as his equal. The British Empire is, or should be,
independent of considerations of race and colour, and should take as its sole
standard of citizenship, mental, moral and physical qualifications. Otherwise
we have no right to interfere with these alien races, and teach them to walk in
our ways, and submit to our rule.
The fact is that it takes at least three generations before any clear apprecia-
tion of the principles of morality, truth, gratitude and honour can penetrate the
intellect and curb the instincts of the negro. Nor in this disadvantage is he
singular amongst the backward races of mankind. The same statement applies
equally to the Red Indian, the Polynesian or the Papuan. You cannot in a year
or two convert a wolf into a sheep dog, or a skulking jackal into a black and
tan terrier ; this change cannot be effected in the one individual, as a rule, no
matter how long he may live ; the result can only be attained by generations
of transmitted culture, induced by constant restraint and careful education.
1 This item of criticism cannot be made to apply to the pupils of the Universities Mission who are very
wisely made to dress in long " kanzus," or garments of Arab style.
MISSIONARIES 203
Even then, when the bulk of your subjects are firmly established in their new
mode of life, and breed true, there will be occasionally disappointing reversions.
A young sheep dog will take to worrying sheep, or a black and tan terrier be
detected killing fowls.1
I know several ordained missionaries who are pure negroes, and who
are most worthy men. Close your eyes and you might be talking to a
cultivated Englishman. But I only recall, at most, three instances of negro
priests of this excellent description who have been, in the one individual,
raised up from a condition of utter savagery to that of an educated civilised
man, and who have maintained themselves on this high level ; almost all
others having undergone similar experiences relapse at one time or another in
a manner very similar to that described in Grant Allen's striking story, The
Reverend John Greedy. But my hope for the eventual results lies in the know-
ledge of what has been done amongst the negroes of the West Indies. Some
of the best, hardest-working and most satisfactory, sensible missionaries I have
ever known have been West Indians — in colour as dark as the Africans they
go to teach, but in excellence of mind, heart, and brain-capacity, fully equal
to their European colleagues. But then these men were at least three genera-
tions removed from the uncivilised negro, and were as much strangers to Africa
and African habits as the average European. Per contra, what disappointing
results on a surface examination would appear to him who first commenced
studying the effects of mission work in Central Africa. If he has really been
a student of African History, if he has read old Blue-books, old descriptions of
travel, old missionary records, he will have noted that at the end of the
"seventies" or the beginning of the "eighties," the missionaries of the day wrote
with rapture of the remarkable progress in learning and in religion which had
been made by John Makwira, Joseph Evangel, Robert Ntundulima, Simpson
Chokabwino : 2 of how John Makwira and Simpson Chokabwino had been
1 As an instance of the disappointing naughtiness which may occur even amongst people who have
lived round the mission station for years, I would tell the following story. While cruising on Lake
Nyasa in 1895 on one of our gunboats I visited the Island of an important station of the
Mission. We arrived on the Saturday evening, dined with the missionaries and were invited to
lunch with them the next day. Early on Sunday morning a number of youths came off from the shore
in canoes bringing small tins and bottles of milk. I am exceedingly fond of milk and it is not an easy
thing to get in Africa as a rule, I was therefore delighted at the enterprise shown by the natives of .
The Commander of the gunboat accordingly bought up all the milk that was offered for sale and
that morning we feasted on porridge and milk and cafi-aii-latt, and put aside plenty of milk for tea in
the afternoon and puddings in the evening. As it is very difficult ordinarily to obtain milk at all from the
natives in this part of Africa, as the cows and goats are often allowed to run about unmilked, (the
natives not caring for milk themselves) we were full of praise regarding the enterprise of these mission
boys. Later on we appeared at lunch, and the ladies and gentlemen of the mission apologised to us for
handing round tinned milk, than which nothing becomes more hateful to the resident in Africa, "but,"
said the missionaries " our boys you know- are very strict Sabbatarians. On Sundays they absolutely
refuse to milk the goats, so we have to go without, though we get plenty of milk on the other days of the
week." I was just going to exclaim " How extraordinary ! why lots of your boys came off this morning
with quite a large quantity of milk for sale " when an idea struck the Commander of the vessel and
myself simultaneously and we held our peace. On enquiry we found these youths of Sabbatarian instincts
reserved the Sunday's milk for themselves, and on occasions were very willing to sell it to strangers.
2 The names of course are fictitious but they give some idea of the want of taste too often shown
by the missionaries in naming their converts. This would be very apparent to anybody who takes up one
or other of the missionary journals published in Centra! Africa and reads the list of baptisms. I quote
haphazard from Life and Work in British Central Africa, the organ of the Blantyre Mission for September,
1896, and on the first page amongst the baptisms I find the names of " Mungo Park Kalima and Tabitha
his wife who have just had a little daughter christened ' Bonnie' ;" and of " Marcus Aurelius Mlnimju."
Either let a European Christian name and surname be given straight away, or keep to the child's existing
name or to any other native appellation and there is nothing to grate on the ear ; but Agnes Tanga-
langa and Dora Chokabwino, Athanasius Ndodo and Wilfred Pujapuja are incongruous, absurd and
distasteful.
204 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
sent to the Lovedale Institute in South Africa, and Robert Xtundulima and
Joseph Evangel to Scotland ; and of the great things which were to be expected
from the raising up of a native Pastorate. Then this student will in the later
" nineties " visit British Central Africa and it will gradually dawn on him that
this disreputable scoundrel, living with and constantly beating four \vives, and
so often inebriated with native forms of alcohol that he is continually in the
police courts, is Simpson Chokabwino ; or that this lying " capitaO " who is
brought before a magistrate charged with defrauding his employer (a coffee
planter) by a forged bill is Joseph Evangel. Perhaps Robert Xtundulima may
be found to have settled in douce sloth, though still a church goer with one
wife, but with all religious enthusiasm dead and an expensive education wasted
on market gardening.
At the present moment although missionaries have been at work in British
Central Africa since 1875, the numbers of real, sincere, believing, professing
Christians amongst their native adherents are relatively small. The Universities
Mission may count 300, the Church of Scotland 400, and the Free Church
Mission 500, because the missionaries themselves are grown far honester than
their predecessors of the "forties" and "fifties" and are very careful not to
confuse converts with adherents and scholars, therefore in their returns they
only give the actual number of baptised and confirmed Christians, but this
in no way gauges the real results of their work.1 Their scholars may be
numbered by the thousand though those scholars may not be sufficiently
advanced in their religious belief to be baptised ; and their adherents — that
is to say, all the surrounding natives who more or less follow their advice and
are benefited by the example of the mission in striving to live peacefully and
decently — number thousands more. Even if the actual religious results of so
much labour and expenditure of lives and wealth seem inadequate it is
consoling to reflect on the immense service which missionary enterprise has
rendered to Africa and to the world at large. When the history of the great
African states of the future comes to be written, the arrival of the first
missionary will with many of these new nations be the first historical event
in their annals, allowing for the matter of fact and realistic character of
historical analysis in the 2 1st century. This pioneering propagandist will
nevertheless assume somewhat of the character of a Quetzalcoatl — one of those
strange half-mythical personalities which figure in the legends of old American
empires ; the beneficent being who introduced arts and manufactures, imple-
ments of husbandry, edible fruits, medical drugs, cereals, domestic animals.
To missionaries rather than to traders or government officials many districts
of tropical Africa owe the introduction of the orange, lime, and mango, of
the cocoanut-palm, the cacao-bean and the pine apple. Improved breeds of
poultry and pigeons, many useful vegetables, and beautiful garden flowers have
been and are being taken further and further into the poorly-endowed regions
of barbarous Africa by these emissaries of Christianity. It is they too who
in many cases have first taught the natives carpentry, joinery, masonry,
tailoring, cobbling, engineering, book-keeping, printing, and European cookery ;
to say nothing of reading, writing, arithmetic and a smattering of general
1 In other parts of Africa, principally British possessions, large numbers of nominal Christians exist,
but their religion is discredited by numbering amongst its adherents all the drunkards, liars, rogues, and
unclean livers. Among the natives in or near European settlements in one of the oldest of our \Yest
African possessions all the unrepentant Magdalenes of the chief city are professing ChriMians, and I
remember when visiting the place referred to in iSSS seeing a black Messalina going to church in pomp,
clad in a white silk dress anil followed by a train of negro admirers.
MISSIONARIES 205
knowledge. Almost invariably it has been to missionaries that the natives
of Interior Africa have owed their first acquaintance with the printing press,
the turning lathe, the mangle, the flat iron, the saw mill, and the brick mould.
Industrial teaching is coming more and more into favour, and its immediate
results in British Central Africa have been most encouraging. Instead of
importing printers, carpenters, store clerks, cooks, telegraphists, gardeners,
natural history collectors from England or India, we are gradually becoming
able to obtain them amongst the natives of the country, who are trained in
the missionaries' schools, and who having been given simple wholesome local
education have not had their heads turned, are not above their station in life,
and consequently do not prove the disastrous failures I have introduced in
my foregoing references to typical individuals sent for their education to South
Africa or the United Kingdom. At the Government press at Zomba there is
but one European superintendent — all the other printers being mission-trained
natives. Most of the telegraph stations are entirely worked by negro telegraph
clerks also derived from the missions. As an instance of the intelligence of
some of these missionary scholars, I have given at the end of the chapter dealing
with the flora of British Central Africa a list and description of the native trees
which is a really remarkable essay sent to me in the native tongue by a
Blantyre scholar.1
Who can say with these facts before them, with the present condition of the
natives in South Africa to consider, with the gradual civilisation of Western
Africa,2 that missionary work has been a failure or anything but a success in the
Dark Continent ?
Is it of no account, do you think, is it productive of no good effect in the
present state of Africa, that certain of our fellow-countrymen — or women-
possessed of at least an elementary education, and impelled by no greed of gain
or unworthy motive — should voluntarily locate themselves in the wild parts of
this undeveloped quarter of the globe, and, by the very fact that they live in a
European manner, in a house of European style, surrounded by European
implements, products, and adornments, should open the eyes of the brutish
savages to the existence of a higher state of culture, and prepare them for the
approach of civilisation ? I am sure my readers will agree with me that it is as
the preparer of the white man's advent, as the mediator between the barbarian
native and the invading race of rulers, colonists, or traders, that the missionary
earns his chief right to our consideration and support. He constitutes himself
informally the tribune of the weaker race, and though he may sometimes be
open to the charges of indiscretion, exaggeration, and partiality in his support
of his dusky-skinned clients' claims, yet without doubt he has rendered real
services to humanity in drawing extra-colonial attention to many a cruel abuse
of power, and by checking the ruthless proceedings of the unscrupulous pioneers
of the white invasion.
Indirectly, and almost unintentionally, missionary enterprise has widely
increased the bounds of our knowledge, and has sometimes been the means
1 This essay has been kindly translated for me into English by the Rev. Alexander Hethervvick of the
Church of Scotland Mission, but I understand sufficient of Chinyanja, having the original with me, to
know that the translation though a smooth one imparts no sense into the text which is not to be found in
the original document. To test the intelligence of these scholars of the Blantyre Mission Schools I had
offered a small pri/e for the best essay on this subject. There were many competitors and some of the
essays were very good besides that one which I now publish, and which was adjudged to lie the best.
- \\ here the Basel missionaries have played much the same part as the British missionaries in Nyasa-
land in introducing industrial teaching.
206 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
of conferring benefits on science, the value and extent of which itself was
careless to appreciate and compute. Huge is the debt which philologists owe
to the labours of British Missionaries in Africa ! By evangelists of our own
nationality nearly two hundred African languages and dialects have been
illustrated by grammars, dictionaries, vocabularies, and translations of the Bible.
Many of these tongues were on the point of extinction, and have since become
extinct, and we owe our knowledge of them solely to the missionaries' inter-
vention. Zoology, botany, and anthropology, and most of the other branches
of scientific investigation have been enriched by the researches of missionaries,
who have enjoyed unequalled opportunites of collecting in new districts ; while
commerce and colonisation have been so notoriously guided in their extension
by the information derived from patriotic emissaries of Christianity that the
negro potentate was scarcely unjust when he complained that " first came the
missionary, then the merchant, then the Consul, and then the man-of-war."
For missionary enterprise in the future I see a great sphere of usefulness — work
to be done in the service of civilisation which shall rise superior to the mere
inculcation of dogma ; work which shall have for its object the careful educa-
tion and kindly guardianship of struggling, backward peoples ; work which,
in its lasting effects on men's minds, shall be gratefully remembered by the new
races of Africa when the sectarian fervour which prompted it shall long have
been forgotten.
CHAPTER VIII.
BOTANY
THAT botany plays a very important part in British Central Africa north
of the Zambezi will be plain to the most unobservant traveller. It does
not take the first rank in popular interest, as in West Africa, for vegetable
growth is less marvellous and fantastic than in the hot rainy countries along the
West Coast belt and in the Congo Basin. Zoology, perhaps, has the first claim
on the attention of the naturalist in South Central Africa ; still botany comes
in as a good second ; for all this district (as I have incidentally pointed out in a
previous chapter) is a kind of secondary development of the forest region ; it is
207
1 -'LOWERS OK Till-: ('.ARMENIA TREK
208
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
on the whole much more clothed with vegetation than is East Africa, North-
Central or South Africa.
Flowering plants and trees are either much more abundant or, owing to the
less dense vegetation, much more apparent than in West Africa. Perhaps there
are not colour displays quite as gorgeous as the evanescent sheets of bloom to
be met with in Temperate Xorth or South Africa, but then the show of flowers
is not confined to a few weeks in the year, but is pretty constant throughout all
the twelve months. Of course there is a marked bursting into bloom at the
beginning of yearly rains and again in the benign
autumn when the violence of the rainy season ^K^^^^^^^^^^_
is over and vet the soil is still moist.
I have not been able
to understand (as I have
mentioned in a preced-
ing chapter) why certain
naturalists have spread
abroad the impression
that singing birds, sweet
smelling flowers and gor-
geous displays of bloom
are practically confined
to the temperate regions
and are not characteristic
of the Tropics. No doubt
these impressions were
formed from an exclusive
acquaintance with the
dense forests of Tropical
America and Malaya, where, just as in West Africa, (owing to the pre-
ponderating gloom}- forest) there is an immense display of foliage varied
by no more than an occasional flower or spray of blossoms. And however
wonderful the orchids of these regions may be, they rarely grow in sufficient
numbers or near enough to the purview of the human eye to constitute a
blaze of colour. But no one who has kept his eyes open in the drier regions
of Central Africa can refuse to acknowledge that the flower displays are marked
and very gorgeous, especially in that part of the country which lies a thousand
feet and more above sea level. In the swamps and on the low-lying land it is
possible to pass through the country seeing little sign of any flowers during
certain months of the year ; though here, again, the traveller, to be consistent
I.I^SOCHII.l'S ORCHIDS
BOTANY
209
in his declaration that he has seen no flowers, must be very careful not to look
too closely into the details of the landscape or he will falsify his own statement ;
for in the marshes there are blue or white water-lilies ; amongst the high reeds
on the forested banks of the rivers trailing convolvuluses seem to be always in
bloom. The white plumes of the reeds and the efflorescence of many rushes
are often beautiful and form a pleasant feature of the landscape.
But if these low- lying lands are visited in the spring-time the display of
flowers is quite as gorgeous
as elsewhere. The acacia •
trees are loaded with small
orange-coloured blossoms ;
a creeper (which some-
times grows indepen-
dently as a bush) has all
along the under part of
the stalk a continuous
mass of small crimson
petalless flowers. When
these are fully out and
the branches are twined
round some smaller tree
or trailing on the ground
they are like great wreaths
of crimson. A strange leaf-
less shrub which resem-
bles a miniature baobab
tree, has large blossoms
that are rose-coloured and
white ; every moist glade
teems with Crinum lilies
of the purest white, or
else white with a line of
pink (the scent of their
flowers being almost in-
toxicating when in close
proximity) ; the india-
rubber vines have sweet-
scented, chaste white
blossoms; there are shrubs
allied to the jasmine with flowers like those of that plant ; the Pterocarpus
trees for one fortnight in the spring are loaded with immense masses of yellow
laburnum-like blossom. Other papilionaceous trees of the genus Lonchocarpns
flower profusely and resemble the Wistaria in colour and appearance ; the
Gardenia tree has, as the reader will see by the illustration, large handsome
white flowers which in the centre are touched with pink and orange ; then
there are the various species of Erythrina. One of these, at least, has blossoms
so gorgeous that I should like to get it introduced into cultivation. The
tree belongs to the bean family ; the flowers which grow in large clusters
are vivid crimson-scarlet. It usually has but few leaves on it when it bursts
into bloom. Suddenly meeting with it in the jungle — great crimson splodges
radiating from the gnarled grey trunk — you rub your eyes thinking that it must
AN ANGR/ECUM ORCHIS
2IO
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
be some optical delusion. Then there is a mighty tree of the genus Spat/witen
(probably S.cainpaiinlatti). Its flowers again are crimson-scarlet with a curious
velvet hood of even deeper and richer crimson ; and there -is the Bombax, whose
flowers also are vivid scarlet-crimson with a mass of dull-black anthers and a
calyx of yellow-green. Both Spathodea and Bombax are trees of great height
and stateliness. The Bombax is the more effective object because the leaves
are not much out when the flowers burst forth ; and the spectacle is such that
if Linnaeus gave way to tears before a field of gorse, one wonders what he_
would have done in full view of a mighty Bombax with its branches hung with'
pendant crimson flowers, like innumerable red lamps. Even the baobab's
flowers, though they tarnish quickly, are beautiful for a brief space, while they
retain the creamy white of their petals and the pale gold dazzle of their
multitudinous stamens.
There are many beans of the genus Tephrosia, growing as creepers or erect
shrubs with flowers usually
a rich purple, but in one
species (Tephrosia Vogelii}
with the corolla snow-
white and the calyx, stalks,
and ovaries the deepest
purple. Other bean flowers
(Crotalaria and Eriosema]
are yellow. There are
Hibiscuses, with huge ____ __
flowers of lemon -yellow
crimson-centred ; others of
pure white, others of pale
pink.
There are shrubs of
the genus Copaifera whose
flowers have large, crinkly
petals of pure white
streaked with rose, and a
powerful aromatic scent ; and straggling
cucurbits with cold - white blossoms and
gaudy-coloured gourds. The Cncstis shrub
exhibits big seed-vessels, several in a clump,
covered with orange or scarlet velvet, through
the valves of which the black-headed beans
protrude. Ground orchids, chiefly of the
genus Lissochilus, grow amid the grass with
columns of red, mauve, or sulphur-yellow
flowers. Epiphytic orchids are not so
common, and are only found in clumps of
dense forest, where they are chiefly represented by the genera
Ansdlia and Angnccnm.
Everywhere in moist places straggles the Commelina with
its blooms of cobalt-blue, yellow, or white— flowers that
wither before the noonday sun, but are lovely in the morning
,
i
This enumeration is wearisome to the eye from the constant
THE ANSELLIA
* * Tir* K R '' ORCHIS
BOTANY
21 I
citing of Latin names ; but I wish to substantiate my statements regarding
the beauty of the flora by enabling the reader to identify the objects of my
admiration. He should derive from this list the just impression that throughout
at least six months in the year even the low-lying plains of Central Africa are
bright in colour with flowers and fruits ; but
if this is the case with the lowlands what
adjectives can be employed to adequately
picture the flora of the highlands ? One
sweeping statement must be made that during
spring-time they are gorgeous with their
flower displays — gorgeous with lakes of azure-
blue and mauve, stretches of pinkish-white,
mounds of rose-tint, columns of purple, sheets
of ultramarine, circles of orange, constellations
of pure white, stains of blood-red, billows of
yellow. Anything more beautiful
than these wild flower gardens in
the country which lies between 1000
and 4000 feet in altitude I have
never seen. And as I have already
remarked, although in its full efful-
gence during the spring months
(October, November, December) and
in the autumn revival (April, May,
June), yet the flower display in the
uplands maintains itself throughout
the whole year. Why should I
weary the reader further by Homeric
lists of scientific names ? All these
can be found in the Appendix ; and
those inclined to doubt or minimise
statements may look up the
A RED U IA-
THE SHIRE HIGHLANDS
my
various genera and species in the
Gardens and at the Herbarium at Kew, and (taking for granted the truth
of my statements that the flowering plants frequently grow in masses which
contribute great effects of unbroken colour) may even without a visit to British
Central Africa become once for all convinced that whatever may be the case
with the gloomy forests of the Amazon or Malay Archipelago, the open,
reasonably-rained-on parts of Tropical Africa are as splendidly endowed with
flower shows as with singing birds. Up in the high mountains this is still more
marked. Here an emotional person would faint away before the rocks hung
with blue lobelias, and the clumps of smalt and cobalt Disa Orchids.1
There is a tree lily ( Vellozia splcndcns} which in the spring-time bears from
its gouty stems (ordinarily finished by a tuft of grass-like leaves) sprays of
creamy-white blooms, so beautiful that even the botanists of Kew were touched
and called it " splendens."2
Perhaps the loveliest ground orchid in the world— Disa hamatofetala. This is well figured from
our specimens in the Transactions of the Linn.ean Society for May. 1894.
Botany should he dealt with by a class of sylphs; instead' of which its priests are often old and
istic men. Plod through page after page of botanical description, and where do you find anv
as a rule of the matchless beauty they should be describing? Little if any mention is made of the
the corolla (as u is correct to call the showy part of the flower), but' what the botanist likes to
,o much satisfaction is that the plant is either glabrous or scabrous, that it is po^ibly caulescent
212
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
OIL PALMS, NEAR THE SONGWE KIVER, NORTH NYASA
Then there are the numerous Coreopses (relations of the Sunflower) — golden-
yellow, creamy -white, and blood -red
pinkish-white anemones; purple iris
(Aristea}; rosy-tinted, salmon-tinted,
apricot - tinted gladioli, or even a
gladiolus with huge blossoms of a pale
buff colour like cafc-au-lait. There is
a great range in the colour of these
gladioli. One has a flower of purplish-
green. The Hypericuin shrub, like the
St. John's wort in England, has large
pale yellow blossoms. In the stream
valleys there are balsams of pink-
mauve ; by the water side at the
greatest altitudes is the blue Cyno-
glosstun, and there are silver and gold
Helichrysums. And yet I have only
signalised by name a twentieth part of
the flowering plants of these high
mountains in Central Africa.
and that the outer whorl is covered with black emergences. He likes the perianth cup to be short and
fleshy and prefers the anthers to be sessile. Not a single exclamation of praise or prayer at the flower
displayed. Of course he is right: science must be unemotional. A good diawing of this I'ellozia is
given in the Transactions of the Linmean Society for May, 1894.
A RAPHIA PALM
BOTANY
213
So much for beauty of colour ; now for the beauty of outline. There are
five species of palm abundantly represented in British Central Africa : the
Borassus, the Hyphaene, the Wild date, the Raphia, and the Oil palm.1 The
cocoanut palm grows at one or two places on the Shire River and on Lake
Nyasa, but it is an introduction from the East Coast. The most graceful of
RAPHIA PALM FRUITING
1 The oil palm, either the Elais guineensis of West Africa or a nearly-allied species grows in North-
West Nyasaland. It is found chiefly in the very fertile plain lying between the Nkonde mountains and the
Lake shore ; also in the well-watered hill country of the Atonga. So far as I am aware it is not found
further south than the latitude of Bandawe — about the middle of Lake Nyasa— nor does it seem to reach
any part of the east coast of that lake. It may be reported eventually from the Chambezi River which
flows down the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau and becomes the Upper Congo, but it has not been recorded up
to the present. Therefore, after quitting Lake Nyasa and ascending to the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau one
does not encounter the oil palm again until the south shore of Tanganyika is reached. Here there are a
few examples but it is not abundant. On the Upper Luapula, however, Mr. Sharpe found it growing in
considerable numbers and apparently identical with the West Coast species ; but this may be the result of
direct introduction by the Alunda — a West African people who make considerable use of its oil for food.
Mr. Whyte and myself have done our best to introduce the oil palm into South Nyasaland and the nuts
planted in the Zomba Botanical Gardens have already grown to the height of a couple of feet. Even if
there was no idea of exporting the palm oil and thus competing with West Africa it would be extremely
useful locally for cooking purposes. The illustration I give here is done from a photograph taken of a
clump of oil palms at the north end of Lake Nyasa.
2I4
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
BORASSUS I'AI.MS
these palms is the Raphia, a species as yet unnamed. The trunk or stem
seldom reaches to any great height above the ground ; it has enormously long
fronds which rise into the air and give the idea of height. The foliage of these
fronds is a glaucous green, but the midrib in the living frond is bright orange.
The seeds are much like the cones of certain
conifers. They are covered with glossy brown
scales and are extremely hard, taking a whole
year to germinate in the ground. This palm
would no doubt produce a wine-like sap, as
is the case with its near congener the Raphia
vinifcra ; but I have not heard of the natives
using it for this purpose in Central Africa.
The midribs of its enormous fronds are of
greatest service to man, being very light,
easily straightened, somewhat uniform in
girth and very strong. The Raphia midribs
at once constitute a light and effective ladder
20 feet long by small rungs being inserted
in the holes made on the leaf-bearing surface of the midrib. This palm also
in the same manner furnishes rafters for houses. The destruction of it at the
hands of the natives has been somewhat wanton, and we have taken measures
in the more settled districts to protect the Raphia, besides gathering the seeds
and replanting them extensively.
The Borassns flabellifcr grows to a great height. Its fronds curl into
a semicircle and make the
familiar palm fan of the East.
The fruit is large — as big as
a child's head — and the husk
is a pale yellowish-green when
ripe. I believe the kernel to
be of little use The trunk of
the palm is very good for
certain purposes in building.
The Central African Hy-
prutne is so similar in appear-
ance to the Borassus that the
one is often mistaken for the
other by the passing traveller.
They are distinguished chiefly
by the difference in their fruit.
The fruit of the Borassus I
have already described. That
of the Hyphrene is much
smaller — the size of a large
egg-shaped Java orange. Its
covering is a rich chestnut-
brown and has a sweetish taste, like gingerbread. The kernel of the nut is white
and extremely hard and can be used as a sort of vegetable ivory. Innumerable
things are made of the tough and lissom fronds, and the trunk of this palm can
be made very useful in building as it is easily split with wedges into board-like
segments. It takes a beautiful polish, having a very handsome grain.
WILD DATE I'AI.MS
A REKD HRAKK (Pkragmites co»imuni>.\
BOTANY
217
I have not observed in British Central Africa the curious swelling of the
stem either of the Borassus or Hyphaene which is so noticeable in other parts
of Africa, such as the East Coast or the Congo Basin.
A wild date grows either on high mountain slopes which are well watered
or on the banks of large rivers or the shores of a lake. It is a handsome palm ;
though occasionally when growing to a great height the stem becomes spindly
and has a tendency to curve and lean. The fronds are extremely green and
never have that glaucous tint so characteristic of the date palm. The fruit
when ripe is just eatable. It looks
and tastes like a very poor form
of date.
The cocoanut palm should do
well in the vicinity of all our
lakes and rivers judging by the
examples already growing at
Kotakota and on the Central
Shire. The fruit produced at
Kotakota is excellent.
Handsome Cycads grow on
the lower slopes of Mount Mlanje.
I have not observed them else-
where. Wild bananas (Musa
ensete) grow on the hillsides.
They are really beautiful objects ;
the trunk is much thicker and
the foliage more statuesque and
ample than in the cultivated
species. They would be familiar
objects to Londoners, as allied
forms are planted in the London
parks during the summer.
Although it forms an abomin-
able growth to force one's way
through on account of the stiff
spear-blades, \h&Phragmites reed1
can be an object of great beauty
with its enormous flower-plumes
of grey -white. But the leaves
though not exactly rigid are stiff
and have a sharply-pointed ter-
mination, and these points pierce
the skin if abruptly encountered.
There are innumerable other
grasses, handsome in the outline
of their growth and beautiful in
their flowering. One small, low
grass in the height of the rainy
season spreads the ground with
a fleecy carpet of p*ale mauve, its
abundant inflorescence being of
1 /'. coiiiiiittnis.
I'l.T.MKS AND YOUNGJSHOOT OF I'HRAGMITES
2l8
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
that tint. Still the grass of Central Africa is one of its great plagues. Between
the months of November and February there grows up a monstrous herbage
under the influence of the sun and rain. The grass stems wrill sometimes
reach eight feet in height. Not only do
many of their leaves cut like razors or
stab like spears but in the autumn months
of April and May their seeds ripen and
in some cases seek distribution by methods
painful to the human animal. There is
one especially — a species of Stipa, whose
seeds I here illustrate. As you pass along
a native path which is almost invisible
(for grass growing on either side leaves
nothing but an obscure narrow tunnel),
the seeds of this Stipa easily detach
themselves and descend with a spiral
flight on to your person, the slight im-
petus of their fall carrying the sharp
barbed point of the seed right into the
clothing ; here the movement of the body
acting on the barbs of the seed wrorks it
farther and farther in, so that it eventually reaches and scratches the skin. There
are cases reported of this Stipa where the seed has actually penetrated the skin
of certain animals. At one time the idea was mooted that the seed germinated
thus in the flesh, but this is not true. It is a mere accident that the barbed
BARBED SKEI» nl > I I I'A
A I.AKi.K in.VKWEEI)
H'l'NI) ON ALL STAGNANT WATER IN TROPICAL
AFRICA (Pistia stratiotfs)
BOTANY
219
grain happens to alight on an animal. What it intends to do is to pitch, point
first, on the ground, which is hardened by the dry weather, and pierce its way
through the soil by the same means that will enable it to pass through a coat
of thick texture. The feathery plume attached to the seed acts as a kind of
float to carry it through the air perpendicularly towards the ground.
There is no lawn grass indigenous to Central Africa, but the Dub grass
of Ceylon has been introduced by Mr. Whyte and the late Mr. John Buchanan,
AN AI.KI/.ZIA TREE
and has thriven wonderfully. With this we can get excellent lawns and very
superior fodder for horses and cattle.
Among rushes there is the king of them, the papyrus. I have referred once
or twice before in this book to its great beauty, and will not weary my readers
by the repetition of my descriptions. The pith of the papyrus which was used
by the Egyptians as a material on which to write, and which has given its name
to "paper," appears to possess a sugary or starchy quality, so that when the
flattened strips of rolled-out pith are moistened the edge of one can be laid on
the edge of the other, and will adhere to it ; and this, I believe, is the way
sheets of paper were made. Why it should not once more be brought into use
as a paper-making material I do not know.
Amongst the graceful types of vegetation mention must nof be omitted of
220
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
the tree ferns on the mountains and the many beautiful ferns to be found in
moist places. The Osmunda grows luxuriantly in the stream valleys, and there
are many varieties of maiden-hair. The dear familiar bracken appears directly
an altitude of 3000 feet is reached, and flourishes thence up to 6000 feet ; in
company with it grows the blackberry bramble, and the two together gladden
the exile's heart like emissaries
from home.
There are many noble forest
trees to be signalised for their
beauty of outline and foliage.
There are the Parinariums,
which tower up a hundred feet
into the air; the velvet-foliaged
Albizsia; the Ebony (Diospyros};
the Khaya (K. senegalensis} ; the
Pterocarpus, with its glorious fort-
night of efflorescence, when the
whole tree is a mass of large
yellow flowers, and exhales an
intoxicating odour of honey, at-
tracting thereby thousands of
bees ; and glossy-leaved fig trees
of the genus Ficus^ These hand-
some forest trees, however, are
generally restricted to the banks
of rivers or the shores of lakes,
or else to moist mountain slopes.
The bulk of the country is covered
by a forest of thin and poor type —
chiefly Trachylobiums and Copai-
feras, Hymenocardias, Anonas
and Misuko (Uapaca kirkiand],
besides certain vines of large size
growing in the habit of a shrub,
and acacias which are of various
forms and very little foliage.
Some of these acacia trees are
more clothed when they grow
near water, and the scent of
their flowers is delightful ; but in the form of bushes they are intolerable.
Were it not that the uniform pale green of the trunks and branches of the
better developed acacias and their feathery light-green foliage and orange-
coloured flowerets class them as beautiful, I should have been inclined to put
them in the division of the vicious.
There is malicious vegetation in Africa. There is a small plant — a kind of
asafcetida — which gives forth the most noxious smell of bad drains when it
is trampled on. There are various kinds of arums that give out a sickening
odour ; an euphorbia which, when broken, spurts out a poisonous milk, one
1 These are especially beautiful at the north end of Lake Nyasa where they are grown by the natives
for the sake of the shade they give. Their branches have long brown rootlets which gradually reach
to the ground where they make independent growth, as is done by the Banyan tree in India.
THE MUCUXA BEAN
BOTANY
221
drop of which in the eye will bring about severe inflammation ; very thorny
mimosas (sensitive plant) ; and a horrid little vine l growing on all cultivated
ground, and springing up from underground tubers which are very difficult
to extirpate. An atrocious pest, the " Spanish needle," has reached this
country. It is found all round the world now in the cultivated regions of
the Tropics. The flower is a poor irregular composite, like a lanky daisy,
with white petals and yellow centre, and seeds that develop at one end
a number of tiny hooks, so that passing through a field where this weed
grows one's trousers bristle with innumerable brown seeds, clinging tightly
to the cloth. A still greater
pest is the Mucuna'1 bean, of
which I give an illustration. It
is a creeper that grows over
bushes and trees. The seed pods
are covered with tiny silky hairs
of a reddish - brown. These, if
touched by the skin, cause a
most extraordinary, most extra-
vagant irritation — a sort of nettle
rash. The skin is covered with
large white weals and the irrita-
tion and heat are so bad that
nothing but stripping and rubbing
oneself with a cooling lotion afford
relief. This cow itch is of very
subtle dispersal. Clothes which
have been washed are laid out to
dry on bushes, and attract a few
of the hairs off the seed pods of
the Mucuna. To all appearance
they might have nothing on them
to attract attention, but they are
no sooner worn next the skin than a sensation as of innumerable fleas attacking
one begins to be felt until at last the irritation is unendurable. The cow itch
is a thing which particularly affects old clearings and abandoned plantations,
and therefore grows frequently by the roadside in Central Africa where the
path traverses districts that have been inhabited.
A Sinilax yam is a noxious thing, as it twines round the shrubs and plants
and throttles them ; moreover the under side of the stalks are armed with
sharp thorns which tear the skin when one is forcing a way through the bush.
A lily, supposed to be the species which for inadequate reasons was named by
Linnaeus Gloriosa supcrba, is very poisonous to cattle or horses. But for
this reputation (which is not absolutely proved) it is a pretty thing ; the
flowers develop, as they expand, from yellow-green to brownish-crimson and
the terminations of the leaves are prolonged into fantastic tendrils.
The grotesque in vegetation is well represented. Look at the Baobab tree
without its leaves ! Is it not as though nature had perpetrated a loathsome
jest? Its enormous bulk (they have been measured 80 feet in girth) which
BAOBAB TREE
1 This Vitis serpais, as it is called, clambers over and throttles plant after plant. At the same time
n it has reached a fence and spread itself out with its pretty red-currant-like grapes it is very
--14— - Chiles of many parts of Nyasaland.
when
decorative.
222
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
after all is nothing but soft, fibrous, pithy wood inside the hard rind ; its gouty
limbs springing from the massive trunk and so inadequately fulfilling the
promise of majesty ; and the leprous look of the whole object with its smooth,
shiny, dirty-pink bark make up a total that is wholly
grotesque. The leaves only remain on this tree for
about five months, and even then they are so thinly
scattered as to give no shade. The flowers are hand-
some as they open, but soon tarnish and turn brown,
as though the whole tree were permeated with a sickly
taint. The seed vessels, shaped like huge bean-pods,
hang perpendicularly from the branches by string-like
stalks and are covered with a thin grey plush. Broken
open they will be found to contain a white pith, yield-
ing a pleasant acid taste, which can be made into a
drink faintly resembling lemonade.
Another grotesque thing is the EupJwrbia, which
grows in the plains — a cube-like stem with a few flat
segments branching off it ; or the Candelabra Euphor-
bia found in the low country and on the harsher
uplands. The species of this Euphorbia which grows
in the hills does not reach the same size as the
monster of the plains. It looks, with the blood-red
aloes growing in the same locality, a fit vegetation to
surround the entrance to a witches' cavern. The
subsidiary branches are like innumerable scorpion
tails, as though a congeries of immense scorpions
were collected in a knot with their tails in the air.
There are many other Euphorbias not already
instanced which are distinctly quaint, though their absurdity has a dash of the
saturnine. Their determination to grow absolutely green flowers, when nearly
every other plant goes in for colour,
shows a trait of originality.
The Aloe when it is in blossom
and throws up its spike of coral
coloured tubes, can be almost pretty ;
otherwise without flowers it is gro-
tesque as it sprawls over the ground
and its thick-spotted red and green
leaves with sharp serrated edges and
long whip-like terminations writhe in
ascending whorls from the crouching
woody stem.
The Kniphofia (the " red - hot
poker" of our gardens) is on the
borderland between the grotesque
and the beautiful. When its flower
spike is in full bearing and the main-
little tube-like flowers are scarlet, lightening into yellow, it offers a fine body
of colour ; but without the bloom the plant with its limp attenuated leaves
(green and spotted with white, having much of the aloe's fleshiness without
its pompous stiffness) looks like some monstrous caricature of a lily made in
THE EUPHORBIA OF THE PLAINS
CANDELABRA EUl'lIOKlil A-
BOTANY
223
a madman's world. The Pro tea has tried to be beautiful but it merely succeeds
in being strange, with its immense saucer-shaped flowers like gigantic daisies.
These soon wither and yet remain on the bush, hideous black objects, for many
months afterwards. The Protea shrub is only fit to look at during one month
in the year.
The many creepers of the forests develop huge lianas. These are chiefly
characteristic of the various rubber-vines of the genus Landolphia.
The Sansevieria plants should be classed amongst
the grotesque if they did not lead us by a natural
transition to the useful. They are absurd things, just
segments of crude vegetation which might be stalks,
but which are, I suppose, leaves that come up out of
the ground anyhow. One triangular leaf may be standing
alone, although there may be a Stonehenge clump of
four or five others growing stiffly together and yet having
as little connection with each other as possible. It is very
rare to see these things in flower. When they do flower
the blossom comes out at the side of the leaf, which makes
you think that the leaf after all is a stalk. Ordinarily
they look as though they had forgotten where
they came from and what they were doing,
and whether they should or should not
have leaves or stalks or flowers.
They are fleshy, but with limp
leathery edges, and they produce
excellent fibre. A company has
been started for the cultivation of
the Sansevieria, which grows in
dry, stony ground ; but unfortu-
nately at the present time the
price of fibre is so low that the
export of the Sansevieria will not
yield large profits.
Fibre is also obtained from the A LANDOLPHIA LIANA
Aloes, Baobab and the arboreal
Hibiscus ; the extraordinary Kigclia tree (whose seed pods are sometimes nearly
as thick as a man's thigh and like a huge pendant sausage in shape) contains in
its seed pods a fibrous material like the Egyptian Lufah which can be used for
rubbing the skin after a bath, and might be utilised for many other purposes.
The natives take the seeds of these Kigclia pods and roast and eat them in
times of scarcity. A species of hemp, probably introduced, grows wild all
over British Central Africa. It is smoked by the natives, as I have already
stated. This hemp might also be got to yield a fibre, and some of the palms
would do the same.
Oils are produced by the Scsauinin (a handsome flowering plant with large
mauve-pink blossoms), by several species of Vitex, by the Castor oil plant
(Ricinus) (which grows in extravagant abundance in and near to the native
settlements), by the Oil palm found in North-West Nyasaland, by the ground
nuts (Arachis and Yoand/eia, which are almost indigenous); and by other
seeds and nuts not yet identified.
For timber there are the African teak (Oldficldia}\ the Klumi ; the
224
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Greivia (often twelve feet in circumference with black hard wood in the middle
through which no insect can penetrate); various species of Vitex ; the
Parinariuin ; the Afzelia (whose bark is often made into boxes) ; the Ebony
(Diospyros) ; the Ironwood (Copaifera) ; the Msuko (Vapaca kirkiand) ; and the
Mlanje Cedar ( Widdringtonia whytei).
m
1ANSKV1KRIA UliRE I'LANT
Drugs are obtained from the Strophanthus creeper1 (used for poisoning
arrows and killing fish, valuable in affections of the heart) ; from the Erythroph-
Icenm (the bark of which produces a violent emetic or poison known as Muavi}\
from the roots of certain nettles (which furnish purgatives) ; from the seeds of
the Crotons, the Castor oil plant, certain beans, euphorbias, and innumerable
1 The Strophanthus may be recognised by the extraordinary position of its two seed pods which grow
exactly at the end of the stalk and opposite to each other so that they look like one large pod placed at
right angles to the end of the stalk.
BOTANY
225
roots, leaves, flowers, seeds and barks not as yet identified and named. Many of
these like the Strophanthus may prove valuable additions to our Pharmacopoeia.
The natives eat the fruit of the Amomum. The flower of this plant
appears a short distance above the ground in the spring months. One species
is a lovely purple-red, another a pink-mauve, a third crocus-yellow, and a fourth
GROWTH OK KKANCIIKS; FOLIAGE J AM) CONKS OF T1IK MI.AMK CKDAK
( U'ittciriiigtvnia wliytei)
white. They look at a distance like exaggerated crocuses. Preceding the
florescence of the yellow species, large flat, yellow leaves appear, and spread
over the surface of the soil ; but in the case of the purple Amomums the
flower goes before the leaf, and the tall foliage which then follows is somewhat
e a dwarf banana, to which genus the Amomums are distantly related Their
vessels are bright red, and are divided into sections, each with a black
Ihe pulp surrounding them is pleasantly acid and is chewed bv the
226
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
natives. The seeds of one A mo mum are very aromatic, and form the " Mala-
guetta " pepper from West Africa — of which our ancestors were so fond, that
it proved in the beginning of our trade with the Dark Continent, a more
powerful motive for sending ships to West Africa than the obtaining of slaves
or gold.
The fruits of the Msuko (Uapaca\ the Parinarium, the Tamarind (a very
common tree in the lowlands), the Sycomore fig, certain species of Strychnos,
i
YOUNG MLANJE CEDAR
the Anona or Custard Apple, and the various kinds of Landolphia are much
eaten by the natives. With the exception of the Tamarind, they offer little
attraction to the European.
Many trees have a sweet or an edible gum, but I have not been able
to identify the species. From the fact that a TracJiylolnnin is found there
max- be gum copal, but I cannot say that any has been brought to light as yet.
Rubber is obtained from two or more species of Landolphia, also from Ficns,
and from the handsome tree or shrub Tabcnueinontana.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 227
APPENDIX I.
THE following essay on the "Useful Trees of British Central Africa" is the
prize essay among several sent in from the native scholars of the Blantyre
Mission Schools (Church of Scotland) to compete for a prize I offered for the
best description in the Ci-nyanja language of the Useful Trees of the
Protectorate.
The essay here given was written in Ci-nyanja by Harry Kambwiri, one of
the native scholars of the Mission, and has been kindly translated for me into
English by the Rev. Alexander Hetherwick, M.A., of the Church of Scotland
Mission.- — H. H. J.
AN ESSAY ON
THE USEFUL TREES OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
BY HARRY KAMBWIRI
Chirama grows near marshy ground, or in the middle of the marsh itself. It is of
smooth bark, in parts scaly. It bears a fruit which is used as medicine for pleuritic
or neuralgic pains in the chest. The fruit is plucked, then roasted by the fire, and applied
to the painful spot, for the relief of the pain.
Chandimbo 1 grows on any kind of sandy soil. It has an edible fruit, black in colour
On removing the outer rind it is found exceedingly pleasant, or on simply chewing in the
mouth it resembles a sweetmeat. The wood of it is used for making pestles, spoons,
pillows and drums. It is apt to crack. The tree is not a pretty one ; it has a lar^e
number of branches ; the wood is not hard ; it is useless as a firewood ; cuttings
planted out grow well, and are employed as fencing poles.
Msuko '- grows on sandy soil, and nowhere close to water. Its fruit reaches maturity
in October, and is edible in November and December. When the fruit is ripe it
tails of itself, and is picked up as an edible fruit exceedingly good. In famine seasons
people squeeze the fruit into a dish, mash it up, and eat it.
The wood of it is used for boards, which are good for tables, chairs, desks, etc., etc.
I he boards are red in colour, but are apt to crack. If left, however, till thoroughly dry
it does not crack.
It is used by women as firewood for burning pots, plates, etc., but it leaves a very
abundant ash.
It is employed in medicine. Pieces are chipped off and steeped. The water is then
drunk. It has an astringent taste.
It is not a deep rooter— only the tap root goes down any distance,
t is good for charcoal making; also is used for couples, etc., in house-building, as
it cannot be bored by wood insects. If the seeds are planted they grow into a tree, but
very slowly.
Mpindimbi* grows on sandy soil near water. The fruit is edible, but bad smelling
and is usually only eaten by animals. The timber is white, and is easily made into
If cut green the wood cracks, but not if cut dry. It is made into spoons,
mortars, pillows, etc. One species, called chipindimbi, is used in medicine. If a child
is feverish its leaves are taken and pounded and mixed with water, in which the child
is then bathed.
1 Erythrina tomcntosa (?). — H. II. J. -' Uafaca kirkiana.—\\. II. J. '• Fife* sp.— H. M. |.
228 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Mnyotiveve1 grows in flat, open, damp soil, or near water. Its fruit, when ripe, is
black, and is edible. I think the Europeans might employ it after pounding in the
manufacture of ink. Its wood is used in furniture-making.
Mpingo- is a good wood, used in making the masts of dhows. With the inner
wood natives make canes, knife-handles, etc. It grows near streams, and is always
seen on the banks of big rivers. Long ago people employed this wood in making
arrow-heads, as it is exceedingly hard.
Mkitndan^ulmve grows on sandy soil. Is used in making knobkerries, tobacco pipes.
It takes on a good polish.
Mpinjipinji is a choice fruit tree. It is propagated from cuttings, and takes five
years before reaching maturity.
Masai/ grows anywhere on high ground. The surface of the tree is covered with
small prickles. It has short, small leaves and a small fruit. When ripe the fruit is red.
It is then plucked or picked off the ground where it may have fallen. It is boiled in a
pot into which a gun.-barrel has been inserted. The pot is covered up, and a fire
is kindled beneath it. Water is poured on the gun-barrel, and the distilled liquid is
caught in a bottle as Kachaso (spirits).
Mkakatuku grows on sandy soil. It is a very hard wood, hence its name. The
wood is good at the heart of the stem. People scrape off the bark, steep it, and
drink the liquid.
Mkwesu grows near the river or lake on small ant hills. The wood is very hard.
The fruit is long and finger-like. The wood is good for making boards for furniture, etc.
Mtundula grows near a stream. Its fruit is edible and sweet. The bark is used
for dyeing cloth of a red colour, like Turkey-red calico. The wood can be made
into boards.
Muungiitwa — a large tree growing in the long grass near a stream. It produces
a red fruit inedible save by elephants. The wood is used for making mortars, and also
for canoes.
Chitasya is a hard wood that does not, however, grow to any si/e. It grows on sandy
soil. The wood is used in making head-rests (pillows) and lip ornaments for women.
Mkuyii 3 grows either near a stream or on high ground. If the stem is cut it exudes
a white sap which is used in smearing arrows, so as to harden them. The fruit is called
/i^in'ii, and is edible. In seasons of famine the fruit is plucked when still green, and
pounded and eaten as a porridge with fowl as relish. If picked up hard and dry the fruit
is mashed up and cooked. The bark of the tree gives good bark-rope. It affords good
shade. The fruit is eaten by the birds. There is another species of fig called mpumbe,
with a larger fruit. If many of the fruit are eaten they are apt to cause sore throat.
Mbawa 4 grows near a stream or in dense clumps of forest. It is a large tree. The
fruit is not edible, but the seeds of it are roasted, pounded, and used in dyeing or softening
bark-cloth. The bark of the tree is thick. The wood is used in canoe-making. The
Europeans make excellent boards of it, as it does not crack, which they make into articles
of furniture. The natives use it as a medicine for the stomach. They chip off pieces
of bark and steep them in a dish, and drink the water.
Mngwenye is a special large-si/ed tree, which grows near streams. Chips of the bark
are used as medicine for the stomach. They are steeped in water, and the water is drunk.
The leaves are long and narrow. The fruit is small and inedible. The wood makes
excellent boards, of a light colour, which crack only to a small extent. The wood is
very hard, and is used for making furniture. It is also used in canoe-making.
1 Nuxia congesta. — II. II. J. - Ebony — Diofpyros sp.— 1 1. II. J.
:! Ficns syconiorns.— II. II.'j. 4 Khaya xcne^alensis. - -1 I. II. J.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 229
Msumbuti grows anywhere on sandy soil. Its bark is used in making bark- cloth,
and also bark-rope. When dry the timber makes good firewood.
Napiri^ grows on flat, open, wet plains, also on higher ground. The natives
use the wood in making pestles for pounding grain, as it is hard and heavy. It makes
good firewood.
Mloinlnvn grows anywhere on sandy soil or on the hills. By partially burning it
makes good charcoal. The sap is red and is sticky to the touch. The natives make
mortars, drums, spoons, pestles, etc. It makes beautiful boards. The bark is used as
medicine for nettlerash. The fruit is used in pleuritic pains of the chest. It is roasted,
and the ash is punctured into the painful spot.
Nkomwa grows near a stream. It is used in making drums, pestles, spoons, pillows.
It is a very light wood, and makes good boards. The leaves are small, and the bark
is thin.
+)[joml>o- grows near streams or on sandy soil. The fruit is eaten by baboons.
Natives make bark-cloth and strong bark-rope.
Mkalate grows on sandy soil, especially near the foot of hills. It is used in making
wall posts for houses, and roofing.
Balisa grows on high ground. It makes into good boards. The wood of it is very
hard. The natives here make good pestles of it.
Xkako grows near streams or in clumps of forest trees. Natives make head-rests of it,
and wooden arrow-heads for shooting small birds. The wood is good and hard.
Mlendimilo grows on high ground or on hills. It blossoms into flowers on the
approach of the rainy season. Natives use the wood for making drums, which are strong
and give out plenty of sound. Chips of the bark are used in medicine.
Mt>a//ga grows on high ground. It is an exceedingly hard wood. The leaves are
used as medicine in headache. They are pounded or steeped in a pot or basin, and the
face is washed with the water. Sometimes simply the smell of the leaves is sufficient. It
makes an excellent medicine, and effects a cure after repeated applications. When dry
the wood makes good firewood which leaves no ash.
Mlambe* the largest tree in this country, grows near water. It produces a fruit called
malambe, the inside of which is white and is eaten thus : — the inside is scooped out,
mixed with water, and eaten. Large strips of the wrood are taken and beaten, so as to
form a fibre from which cord is made. The tree produces very few leaves.
Mkongomwa is a good tree for shade. It grows near the River Shire, and also in the
Mangoni country.
Ngosa grows on flat plains near rivers. The wood on being cut is very soft. The
bark is used in making cord for weaving nets or sewing sleeping mats. The fruit is
roasted and mixed with tobacco snuff as a flavouring.
Mlnndo grows anywhere on sandy soil. The leaves are small ; the wood is hard :
the fruit is inedible. It is used as medicine for the stomach by steeping the bark and
drinking the water, or by twisting it into a cord and wearing the cord tied round the waist.
Chikitjumlni grows on sandy soil or near a stream. The bark is covered with small
scales. One is growing in the Square at Blantyre Mission. The wood is used for
making mortars, pestles, spoons and pillows.
Chuiiibu is used as stomach medicine. The bark is chipped off and steeped, and
the water is drunk. It is also used in treating boils. The boil is opened with a sharp
point made of this wood which prevents it recurring again. The tree grows on sandy
soil near ant-hills. It is a very soft wood.
1 Copaifera sp., allied to the Mopane or " ironwood " tree of Livingstone. — H. II. (.
'2 Brachystegia ion^ijolia. — \\. II. J. » The Baobab— Adansonia digitata.— II. II. |.
23o BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Mfawa grows on any kind of soil. The wood is not hard. When dry it is not
heavy, but when green, natives make good bark-cloth of it, and rope.
Msopa is used in medicine, and also to make bows. It makes good boards. Chips
of it are steeped in the water where bark-cloth is steeped, so as to dye it black. The
wood is hard to cut and cracks. It grows close to streams or in damp, marshy spots.
Mkwale grows on plains, as on the bank of the Tuchila. It is used for making
spoons, pestles, and lip-rings worn by native women. It is very white, and does not crack.
Msolo grows on sandy soil, and makes good boards. Natives cut it into pestles,
pipes, and spoons. It will not make mortars because it is too hard. The fruit is eaten
by game such as bushbuck, etc.
Msechela grows on sandy soil near a hill. It is very like the msuku tree, but has
smaller leaves. It makes as good boards as the msuku tree. The fruit is small and
edible.
Mchenje grows on plains near ant-hills. The bark is rough and the leaves are small.
It is used in medicine by steeping chips of it in water, and drinking the water. It is
used as medicine for game-traps. The fruit is pounded and placed in the traps. In
seasons of famine it is eaten as a food.
Nkungunyanjila grows anywhere near the river. Its fruit is not eatable. The wood
makes good boards. It is used as medicine for sores, by steeping chips of the wood
in water, and washing over the wound by means of a feather.
vrs near streams. The stem is light in colour. The leaves are long and
narrow. The natives make the wood into pestles, spoons, mortars, etc. It makes good
boards of a white colour. It is also used in making drums, and as stomach medicine in
fever.
Mkwakwa produces a nice fruit. It grows on hills in dense clumps of trees. The
fruit is sweet and tastes like pineapple.
Mguwanguwo is used in medicine by steeping the bark. It has a very bitter taste
like quinine. It makes into good boards.
Mseje cuts into good boards. It is not hard to saw up. The wood is red in colour.
It grows on sandy soil. When the tree is small its branches make good pestles.
Mjole ] is a good wood used in canoe-making. It is a very tall tree, with the leaves
all at the top. It makes into very strong canoes. It grows on the river and at Linjisi.
Sanyo ^ is a tree that grows at the river, and is used in making wall-posts of houses,
and in twisting into ropes. It is a very common tree.
Mtomoni grows on sandy soil and hilly country. It is used in medicine. It makes
a good tree for fence-posts, as it takes root and grows. The sap is used in smearing the
tops of drums, that the india-rubber may adhere to the skin. The fruit is inedible.
Mbewe grows on sandy soil. Long ago the wood was used for arrow-heads. It is
used also in smelting and working iron, that the metal may be made readily malleable.
Mpelele grows on plains near the river. The tree is one used in canoe-making, as it
does not crack.
Mtondo is found at the river, and is used in canoe-making, and in making mortars,
pestles, etc. The fruit, which is called Matondo, is edible.
Msichisi- grows near streams. The wood is used in making stocks of guns, pestles,
pillows.
Msangu, a canoe tree. The bark is rough, the leaves are small. It grows at the river.
Msumiva grows at the river; somewhat rough in the bark. The tree is useful in
canoe-making.
1 Parinarium sp.— H. II. J. " Wild date palm, Phctnix sp.— H. II. J.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 231
Mkunde1 grows near streams. Is useful in canoe-making. The fruit is edible, but is
apt to discolour the teeth.
Dulnlu grows on sandy soil. It is used in making drums, mortars, spoons, etc. It
makes good boards. The root also is used in drum-making. It is a light wood.
Mtondewoko is used in canoe-making. Elephants are fond of the fruit. The wood
is hard and very heavy. It is used in making the big drums used by the river people.
Mtitndu grows in clumps of trees or on the sites of deserted villages. Cuttings are
planted at the chief's courtyard, and grow very quickly into a big tree which can be
readily recognised.
Mkolononjo grows on plains. The wood of the stem is very full of knots. It is
used in canoe-making. It is found at the river and at the Tuchila.
Ntepa makes excellent bark-rope. It grows on flat grassy plains.
Ngachi? a leafless tree. If the sap drops into the eye it causes inflammation of the
cornea. It is used as a fish poison. It grows on the sites of old villages.
Mdogodea cuts easily into boards. It is a smooth-barked tree with small leaves, and
grows near a stream. The fruit is named Mandogodia.
Mvumo? or Ngwalangwa, is a river tree of great height. The fruit is edible. The
leaves are long like those of the date palm. It is propagated from the seed. The root
also is used as food in a similar manner to the carsana plant.
M-iCaja — a large tree growing on the banks of streams. It is red in colour, and
produces a fruit as large as a pumpkin. When ripe the fruit falls to the ground. People
pick it up, take out the seeds, roast them, and eat them. The tree is found on Mounts
Mangoche and Nangu.
Nangwesie is a good tree for bark-cloth. It grows on sandy soil. Its bark is also
used for bark-rope.
Mtalawanda is used for bows and sticks. The bark is smooth, and the leaves are
small. It grows at the river.
Tcuza is used for bows and sticks. It grows in sandy soil near streams. It is not of
much use. In appearance it is very similar to the Mtnhuvanda tree.
Mtewelewe grows an edible fruit. It is used for wall-posts of houses.
Nkope is used for making bows. The wood is hard, the leaves are large, and the bark
smooth. It grows near streams in clumps of trees.
Nkulakula is used in making lids of covered baskets. The wood is adzed down thin,
and bent into a circular form. It is also used in making beer cups.
Nabukwi is used for mortars, drums, etc. It is also made into boards.
Chinyeuyc is used to make mallets for hammering out bark-cloth. Europeans may
use it for wooden hammers. It grows near the river.
Mpawoni is a large tree like Mbawa. It grows near streams on the banks of the
Tuchila and Nkwakwasa. In appearance it is like the Mbawa, but has not the red
colour.
Mchi/e, or Kn/isiu/ic, grows anywhere even as a parasite. It makes very strong bark-
cloth. It is red in colour, and is used also in making bark-cloth. Its fruit is called Ngile.
Chisije. — The Chikunda people at Michiru take chips of the wood, mix the water in
which they are steeped with Likwanya plant, and use it in dyeing cloth of a black colour.
It grows anywhere on sandy soil.
1 Parhia Jllicoidea.— H. H. J. - Euphorbia sp.— H. II. |.
:! Apparently these arc t\v<> different palms. Mvumo is the fiorasnt* tLibcllifcr, and Xi;\valani;wa
Ifyf>h<rne sp. inc. — II. II. |.
232 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
Lungwe makes a medicine for sores. Chips are taken off, placed in a pot, and heated
over the fire. The infusion is applied to the sore by means of a feather.
Mkakomtela makes lip-rings, and is carved into gun-stocks.
Mkemgusa (Mlanje Cedar) is a noteable tree in British Central Africa. It is used in
making tables, chairs, etc. It is easily cut and planed, and has a sweet smell. It also
makes good walking-sticks.
Nkolopochi — a tree which grows on the hills, and has a fruit of the same name, which
is bright red when ripe.
Mchenjilema is a tree that grows on hilly ground. It is a tree of great use. It is
large in size, and grows in forest clumps. It has very large roots that grow down deep
into the ground.
Msilanyama — a fruit tree, but small. People take the bark (or husks) and pound it
in a mortar, and make an oil used in smearing their bodies. It grows on sandy soil.
The fruit is small like a chitalaka bead.
Nkuluktitutu grows on sandy soil or near a stream. The fruit is very edible. The
wood is used for making wooden spoons.
Chipisawago, like the chinyenye tree, is used for making wooden mallets. After
adzing, they are marked with a hot iron, and are used for hammering bark-cloth. It is
an exceedingly hard wood, hence its name — chipisawago, "the blunter of the axe."
If Europeans make mallets of this tree they will find it very useful.
Mpandabivalo is easily cut into boards. It does not crack. The seeds are used by
women for lip-rings.
Nakalima grows on hilly country, and makes into good boards.
Chandafu grows on hilly country ; is a very large tree, and makes good boards. The
tree is dark in colour, and the bark is very rough.
Nkangasa — a canoe-tree growing at the river or on the hills. It is found here, and
makes good boards.
Mchelechela grows near streams or in clumps of forest trees. It is a very large tree,
and is used in making, spoons, mortars, and canoes.
Nkalala grows in forest clumps. It is used in canoe-making.
Mchenga is used in making handles for hoes and axes. The leaves are small, and the
bark is rough.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 233
APPENDIX II.
LIST OF THE KNOWN PLANTS OCCURRING IN
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA,
NYASALAND, AND THE BRITISH TERRITORY NORTH OF
THE ZAMBEZI
COMPILED, BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR, FROM MATERIALS IN THE
HERBARIUM OF THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW
BY I. H. BURKILL, M.A.
THE following list, compiled for the most part from the plants and manuscript records
in the Herbarium of the Royal Gardens, Kew, must be regarded as provisional. The
knowledge of the flora of the British territory north of the Zambezi has been so rapidly
extended during recent years, and is yet so imperfectly known, that any account
approaching completeness is at present impossible. Little has been published hitherto,
and the facts now collected together will serve to bring into one view nearly all we
know of the Botany of British Central Africa.
The first collections were made by two members of the Livingstone Expedition
in the years 1861, 1862. Dr. (afterwards Sir) John Kirk and Mr. J. C. Meller, while
exploring the course of the Shire River and wandering in the Mananja hills, made
considerable collections, which were transmitted to Kew, some of them in time
for description in the Flora of Tropical Africa. Subsequently Dr. Kirk journeyed
up the Zambezi into the Batoka country, from the highlands of which and from the
region of the Victoria Falls other plants were sent home. The new species
gathered by- him were described in a variety of different publications. In the
following years Mr. Horace Waller, residing in the Mananja hills, continued to
transmit plants to Dr. Kirk, who was at that time H.M.'s Consul in Zanzibar. After
this comes a gap of some years in which nothing was added to our knowledge,
until Dr. Emil Holub, in 1879, returned from a journey during which he had made
considerable collections. Of these, a few of the plants had been gathered about
Sesheke, almost the most northern point which he reached, and within the territory
under consideration. At the same time (1878) Major Serpa Pinto made, in his
journey across the continent, a small collection on the table-land over the river
Ninda, and the plants of this were, in 1881, described in the Transactions of the
Linmean Society. Again in this year, 1878, the late Mr. John Buchanan sent to Kew
his first collection of Nyasaland plants, and Mr. L. Scott travelled collecting through
the Shire Highlands to the head of Lake Nyasa.
From this date our knowledge has steadily grown. Under the influence and with
the help of Sir Harry Johnston, the region of the Shire Highlands has been
energetically explored. The frequent mention below of the names of J. Buchanan,
G. F. Scott-Elliot, J. McClounie, J. Last, A. Whyte, and K. C. Cameron shows how
much has been done in this region. Further north, in 1879, Mr. Joseph Thomson
234
had gathered plants on the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, and these reached Ke\v in
1880. Messrs. Carson, Nutt, Scott-Elliot and Sir Harry Johnston have also collected
on the plateau, and the first-named on a journey along the Kalungwizi River to
Lake Mweru.
The collection made at Boroma, on the north of the Zambezi, by the Rev.
L. Menyharth, is only in part known.
As a guide to the distribution, the region has been divided into four sections, as
follows : —
1. Shire Highlands.
2. Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau; some of the plants probably collected on
the German side of the boundary line.
3. Extreme west, where Major Serpa Pinto alone has collected.
4. Upper Zambezi.
It must be understood that all the plants collected by Buchanan were obtained
in the Shire Highlands ; all by Carson and Nutt, unless otherwise stated, from the
region near the south end of Lake Tanganyika ; all from Serpa Pinto from the one
plateau near the river Ninda ; and all from Menyharth from Boroma. It was not
thought necessary to repeat these localities with the collectors' names.
PHANEROGAMS.
RANUNCULACEAE.
Clematis Ktrkti, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
C. grata, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
C. simensis, Fresen. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
C. Thunbergii, Steud. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Clematis sp. (2) Carson.
Thalictrum rhynchocarpum, Dill, et Rich, (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
T. longipedunciilatum, Harv. et Sond. (i) Buchanan.
Anemone whyteana, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Ranunculus pinnatus, Poir. (i) Buchanan.
Ranunculus sp. (2) Carson.
Delphinium dasycaulon, Fresen. (2) Nutt.
ANONACEAE.
Anona senegalensis, Pers. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau,
Scott-Elliot.
Anona sp. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
( '-t'«ria spp. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Xylopia sp. ? (i) Buchanan.
Unona spp. (i) Buchanan.
Monodora stenopetala, Oliv. (i) Rapids of Shire River and west of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
MENISPERMACEAE.
Jateorhiza Cohimba, Miers. (i) Buchanan.
Tiliacora (?) funifera, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
7^iliacora sp. (i) Buchanan.
Cocculns -i'illosHs, DC. (i) Rapids of Shire River, Kirk.
Cissampelos Pareira, L. (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands and Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot;
Zomba, Whyte.
C. nephrophylla, Bojer. (i) Buchanan.
Stephania abyssintca, Rich. (?) (i) Buchanan.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 235
NY.MPHAEACEAE.
Nymphaea steUata, Wilid. (i) Lake Nyasa and Shire River, Kirk; Buchanan; (2) Carson.
CRUCIFERAE.
Nasturtium indicum, L. (4) Menyharth.
Bnissica juncea, DC. (i) Murchison Falls, Shire River, Meller ; Buchanan.
CAPPARIDACEAE.
Cleome monophylla, L. (i) Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
C. chilocalyxi Oliv. (i) Shire River, Meller.
C. hirta, Oliv. (i) Maravi country, Kirk; (2) Carson; Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. ciliata, Schum. et Thonn. (2) Carson.
Cleome sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Gynandropsis pentaphylla, UC. (i) Buchanan ; Shire River, Meller.
Thylacinm afn'cnni/m, Lour, (i) Shire River, Kirk; Buchanan.
Maenia nervosa, Oliv. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Maerita sp. (i ) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Boscia salici folia, Oliv. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
B. Carsoni, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
Capparis rosea, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; by Lake Nyasa and Upper Shire,
Kirk.
C. tomentosa, Lam. (i) Buchanan.
C. Kirkii, Oliv. (i) By Lake Nyasa and Upper Shire, Kirk.
Capparis sp. (i) Buchanan.
Ritchiea sp. (2) Carson.
RESEDACEAE.
Caylusea abyssinica, Fisch. et Mey. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
VlOLACEAE.
lonidium enneaspermnm, Vent, (i) Blantyre, Last ; (4) Menyharth.
/. nyassensc, Engl. (i) Buchanan.
Viola abyssinica, Steud. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
MORINGEAE.
Motinga pterygosperma, DC. (i) Lake Nyasa and Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
BlXINEAE.
Oncoba spinosa, Forsk. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
O. lasiocaly.v, Oliv. (i) Lake Chilwa, Kirk.
O.petersiana, Oliv. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Flacourtiit Rui/ioutc/ii, L'Hcrit. (i) Buchanan.
Aphloia theaeformis, Benn. (i) Mlanje, McClounie and Whyte; Zomba, Whyte;
Buchanan.
Kiggelaria grcmdifoliat Warb. (i) Buchanan.
PlTTOSPORACEAE.
Pittosporum sp. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
POLYGALACEAE.
I'olygaln gomesinnn, Wehv. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk; Zomba, Whyte; Blantyre, Last;
2} Xutt ; lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
/'. ninboinensis, Gurke. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
236 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
FOLYGALACEAE.
Polygala tcmdcaulis, Hook. fil. (2) Carson.
P. ranfol/ti, DC. (2) Nutt.
P. triflora, L. (i) Buchanan.
P. polygonifolia, Chodat. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
P. brittenituia, Chodat. (2) Nyasa- Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
P. persicariaefolia, DC. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan ;
Mananja hills, Kirk and Waller.
P. petitiana, Rich, (i) Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Waller.
P. virgata, Thunb. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
P. krumanina, Burchell. (3) Serpa Pinto.
P. micrantha, G. et P. (2) Carson.
Poly gala spp. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
Securidaca longepedunculata, Fresen. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Zomba, Whyte;
Buchanan.
Securidaca sp. (i) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott- Elliot.
Muraltia mix fa, L. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Zomba, Whyte.
CARYOPHYLLACEAE.
Dianthns Serpae, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Silene Burchellii, Otth. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie; Shire Highlands, Scott-
Elliot ; Buchanan ; (2) Upper Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
Silene sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
Cerastium africamim, Oliv. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Cerastium sp. (2) Lower Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
Stellaria. media, Cyr. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Drymaria cordata, Willd. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Polycarpaea corymbosa, L. (4) Menyharth ; var. effusa, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
Polycarpaea sp. (4) Menyharth.
PORTULACEAE.
Portitlaca quadrtfida, L. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Mweru, Carson.
HYPERICINEAE.
Hypericum peplidifo Hum, Rich, (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte; Shire Highlands, Scott-
Elliot ; Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
H. lanceolatum, Lam. (i) Buchanan; Mananja hills, Meller; Blantyre, Last; Mlanje
and Zomba, Whyte.
H. quartinianum, Rich, (i) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Hypericum sp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Psorospermum febrifugum, Spach. (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Kirk ; Zomba, Whyte ;
Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot and J. Thomson.
Psorospermum sp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Haronga madagascariensis, Choisy. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
GUTTI FERAE.
Garcinia IJuchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
DlPTEROCARPEAE.
Vatica africana, Welw., var. glomerata, Oliv. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES
237
MALVACEAE.
Sidn hum His. Cav. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
S. rhonibi folia, L. (i) Buchanan.
-S'. spinosa, L. (i) Buchanan.
S. cordifolia, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller ; Buchanan.
Sida sp. (4) Menyharth ; Holub.
Abutilon angitlatitni, Mast, (i) Katunga, Meller; Chiraozulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
A. zanzibaricnin, Bojer. (i) Buchanan.
A. longicuspe, Hochst. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller.
A. indicum, Don. (i) Mafianja hills, Meller ; Mlanje, Whyte ; (4) Sesheke, Kirk.
•A. graveolens, W. et A. (i) Buchanan.
Abutilon sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Urena lobata, L. (2) Carson.
Pavonin Meyeri, Mast, (i) Mafianja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
P. schimperhmn, Hochst. (i) Buchanan; Chiradzulu, Meller and Whyte; (2) Lower
plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
P. urens, Cav. (i) Buchanan.
Pavonin spp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Kosteletzkyct adoensis, Hcchst. (i) Buchanan.
Hibiscus ritifolius, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
H. dh'ersifolius, Jacq. (i) Mafianja hills, Meller ; Lower Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan.
H. surattensis, L. (i) Buchanan.
H. Sabdariffa, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk.
H. cannabinits, L. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Chiradzulu, Meller.
H. gossypinus, Thunb. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk and Meller; Chiradzulu, Whyte;
Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
//. micrnnthus, L. (i) Katunga, Meller; Buchanan; (2) Carson; Nvasa-Taneanyika
plateau, Scott-Elliot.
H. Solandra, L'He'rit. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
H. physaloides, G. et P. (i) Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
Hibiscus spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron ; (2) Carson ; Nyasa-
Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson ; (4) Holub.
Gossypium barbadense, L. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Adansonia digitata, L. (i) Lake Chilwa, McClounie.
STERCULIACEAE.
Sterciilin melisstfolici, Benth. (2) Carson.
-V. triphaca, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
Stcrctilin sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Dombeya multijlorn, Planch, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte.
n. spectabilis, Bojer. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
1). Kirk ii, Mast, (i) Katunga, Meller.
/>. Jiiirgcssine, Gerr. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Blantyre, Last; Chiradzuiu, Whyte-
Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Dombeya sp. (2) Carson ; Upper and Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, Thomson.
Melhaniti Forbcsii, Planch, (i) Buchanan.
J/. acuminata, Mast, (i) Buchanan.
Waltheria <ii)ie>icnn<i, L. (i) Buchanan.
Melocliia corchorifolia. L. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Valley, Kirk.
Hermannia inamoena, K. Schuin. (i) Buchanan.
H. Kirkh', Mast, (i) Buchanan.
238 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
TlLIACEAE
Grew in asiatica, L. (i) Buchanan.
G. inaequilatera, Garcke. (i) Lower Shire, Kirk and Meller.
Grewia spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Triumfctta rhomboidea, Jacq. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
T. IVelwitschii, Mast, (i) Near Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
T. Mastcrsii, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
T. Sonderii, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
T.pilosa, Roth, (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
T. trichocarpa, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
T. tomcntosa, Bojer. (i) Buchanan.
Triumfetta spp. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Nyasa,
J. Thomson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Menyharth.
Sparmatmia abyssinica, E. Mey. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie ; (2) Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
S. palmata, E. Mey. (i) Buchanan.
Cor chorus tridens, L. (i) Blantyre, Last.
C. olitorius, L. (i) Buchanan.
Ceratosepalum digitatum, Oliv. (2) Carson.
LlNEAE.
Erythroxylon emarginatum, Schum et Thonn. (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands, Scott-
Elliot.
MALPIGHIACEAE.
Acridocarpus chloroptcrus, Oliv. (i) Shire Valley, Meller and Kirk.
Acridocarpus^. (i) Buchanan.
Triaspis sp. (i) Buchanan.
ZYGOPHYLLEAE.
Tribulus terrestris, L. (i) Buchanan.
GERANIACEAE.
Geranium aculeolatum, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
G. simcnsc, Hochst. (i) Zomba, Kirk; Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Lower plateau, north of
Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
G.favosum, Hochst. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Geranium spp. (i) Zomba, Cunningham ; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Pelargonium sp. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson and Scott-Elliot ; Carson.
Oxalis semiloba, Sond. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk; Blantyre, Last.
O. oligotricha, Baker. (2) Carson.
O. sensitiva, L. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte ; Blantyre, Last.
O. trichophylla, Baker. (2) Carson.
O. corniculata, L. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
Oxalis spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Nutt.
Impatiens capensis, Thunb. ( i ) Chiradzulu and Mananja hills, Meller.
/. Kirkii, Hook. fil. (i) Western side of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
/. assurgens, Baker. (2) Nutt ; Carson.
/. shircnsis, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
/. gomphophylla, Baker. (4) Carson.
/. 'micrantha, Hochst. (?) (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Impatiens spp. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; (2) Carson.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 239
RUTACEAE.
Toddalia aculeata, Pers. (i) Buchanan.
Toddalia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Clansena inaequalis, Benth. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
Citrus Aurantiuin, L. (i) Buchanan.
SlMARUBEAE.
Brucea sp. (?) (4) Menyharth.
Kirkia acuminata, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
OCHNACEAE.
Ochna leptodada, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Maravi country, Kirk ; Buchanan.
0. macrocaly.v, Oliv. (i) Sochi, Kirk; Mananja hills, Meller; Zomba, Whyte- Mlanie
McClounie; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
O.Jioribunda, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
Ochna spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson
BURSERACEAE.
Canarhtm sp. (i) Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot.
Commiphora pilosa, Engl. (4) Menyharth.
C. mozambicensis, Engl. (i) Lower Shire River, Kirk.
Commiphora spp. (4) Menyharth ; Boroma and Batoka country, Kirk.
MELIACEAE.
Turraea nilotica, Kotschy. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
T. capitata, Klotzsch. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Turraea sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (4) Menyharth.
Trichilia cmetica, Vahl. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
T. capitata, Klotzsch. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (4) Menyharth.
T. Buchanani, C. DC. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Trichilia spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Khaya senegalensis, A. Juss. (?) (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Ekebergia fiuchananii, Harms, (i) Buchanan.
OLACINEAE.
Olax dissitiflora, Oliv. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; (4) Menyharth.
Olax sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott- Elliot.
Ximenia americana, L. (i) Buchanan.
Apodytes di midiata, E. Mey. (i) Buchanan.
Chlamydocarya sp. (4) Menyharth.
ILICINEAE.
Ilex capcnsis, Sond. et Harv. (i) Mlanje, McClounie; Buchanan.
CELASTRACEAE.
Celastrns laurifolius, Rich, (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
C. senegalensis, Lam. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte; Buchanan; (2)? Lower plateau north of
Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. serratus, Hochst. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Gymnosporia laurina, Szyszyl. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
(j. undata, Szyszyl. (i) Buchanan.
G. bnxifolia, Szyszyl., var. vcmnnta, Sand, (i) Buchanan.
24o BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CELASTRACEAE.
Gymnosporia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Cassinc Bnchananii, Loesn. (i) Buchanan.
C. aethiopica, Thunb. (i) Buchanan.
Hippocratea obtusifolia, Roxb. (4) Menyharth.
Hippocratea Buchananii, Loesn. (i) Buchanan.
Hippocratea sp. (4) Menyharth.
Salaria spp. (i) Buchanan.
Pleurostylia Wightii, Wight et Arnott. (i) Buchanan.
RHAMNEAE.
Zizyphns Jujuba, Lam. (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot,
Z. mucronata, Willd. (i) Shire River, Kirk and Meller.
Gouania sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Helinus ovatus, E. Mey. (i) Lower valley of the Shire River, Meller ; Buchanan.
Phylica spicata, L. ? ( i ) Mlanje, Whyte.
AMPELIDEAE.
Vitis erythrodes, Fresen. (i) Buchanan.
V. congesta, Baker, (i) Katunga, Meller.
V. abysstnica, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
V. rnbiginosa, Welw. (i) Buchanan.
V. serpens, Baker, (i) Zomba, Whyte.
V. grisea, Baker. ( I ) Shire River, Kirk.
V.jatrophoides, Welw. (i) Mbami, near Blantyre, Kirk ; Buchanan.
V. integrifolia, Baker, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Menyharth.
V. subciliata, Baker, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Katunga, L. Scott.
V. ibuensis, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Vitis s.pp. (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Mananja hills, Meller;
(2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
Cissus aristolochiaefolia, Planch, (i) Buchanan.
C. subglaucescens, Planch, (i) Buchanan.
C. kirkiana, Planch., var. Livingstonii, Planch, (i) Buchanan.
C. Buchananii, Planch, (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
C. cucumerifolia, Planch, (i) Katunga, Kirk.
C. crotalarioides, Planch, (i) Buchanan.
Leea sp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
SAPINDACEAE.
Cardiosperminn microcarpum, H. B. K. (i) Buchanan.
Paulliniapinnata, L. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte.
Paullinia sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Schmidelia repanda, Baker, (i) Shire River, Kirk.
S. africana, DC. (i) Buchanan.
Schmidelia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Cnpania spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Blighia zambesiaca, Baker, (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Lecaniodiscus fraxinifolia, Baker, (i) Shire River, Kirk ; (4) Menyharth.
Sapindus xanthocarpus, Kl. (i) Buchanan ; Shire River to Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Dodonaea viscosa, L. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Rersama sp. (i) Buchanan; Zomba, Whyte; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 241
ANACARDIACEAE.
Rfnis I'iminalis, Vahl. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
A', villosa, Linn. fil. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte : var.
grandtfolia, Oliv. (i) Mbami, near Blantyre, Kirk.
R. Kirkii, Oliv. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
R. pulcherrima, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
R. glaucesccns. Rich, (i) Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north
of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
R. mitcronifolia, Sond. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
R. insignis, Del. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
R. retinorrhoea, Steud. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Rhus sp. (i) Buchanan.
Spondias sp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Menyharth.
Sclerocarya caffra, Sond. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
CONNARACEAE.
Roiirca oi'alifolia, Gilg. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
LEGUMINOSAE.
Crotalaria anthyllopsis, Welvv. (i) Buchanan.
C. laxiflora, Baker. (2) Carson.
C. glaitca, Willd. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk.
C. I'ogelii, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
C. cephalotcs, Steud. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
C. lotifolia, L. (i) Buchanan.
C. deomifoiia, Welw. (i) Buchanan.
C. erisemoiiies, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
C. lanccolata, E. Mey. (i) Buchanan.
C. intermedia, Kotschy. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. natalitia, Meisn. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
C. hyssopifolia, Kl. (i) Buchanan.
C. recta, Steud. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Waller : (2) Carson.
C. spinosa, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
Crotalaria spp. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; Chiradzulu, Whyte : (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Argyrolobium shir ens e, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
Adenocarpns Mannii, Hook. fil. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Parochetits comnninis, Hamilt. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
Medicago lupulina, L. (i) Buchanan.
Lotus arabicus, L. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
L. tigrensis, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Lotus sp. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Psoralea sp. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Indigo/era vicioides, Jaub. et Spach. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
I. trachyphylla, Benth. < i ) Buchanan.
/. polysphaera, Baker. (2) Carson.
/. Lyallii, Baker, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
/. heterotricha, DC. (3) Serpa Pinto.
/. dodecaphylla, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
/. secnndiflora, Poir. (i) Upper Shire Valley, Scott-Elliot; (2) Lower plateau, north of
Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson.
/. splendens, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
16
242 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
LEGUMINOSAE.
Indigofcra muliijuga, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
/. demissa, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
I. tinctoria, L. (i) Buchanan.
/. hirsuta, L. (i) Buchanan.
/. tomlosa, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
/. emarginellci) Steud. (i) Buchanan.
/. arrecta, Hochst. (2) Karonga, L. Scott.
7 cndccaphylla, Baker, (i) Zomba, Meller.
Lprocera, S. et T. (i) Buchanan.
Indigofcra spp. (i) Buchanan; Biantyre, Last; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) Nyasa-
Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson and Scott-Elliot ; Nutt ; Carson.
Tephrosia sericea, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Waller ; Zomba, Whyte.
T. Vogelii, Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
T. longipes, Meisn. (3) Serpa Pinto.
T.purpurea, Pers. (i) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
T. linearis, Pers. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
T. whyteana, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
T. Nyasae, Baker fil. (i) Buchanan.
T. lupinifolia, DC. (i) Buchanan.
T. dichroocarpa, Steud. (i) Buchanan.
T. schizocalyx, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
T. sambesiaca, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
Tephrosia spp. (i) Buchanan; (2) Carson; Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
Mundulea suberosa, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
Sesbania sp. (i) Buchanan.
Astragalus abyssinicus, Steud. (i) Buchanan.
Ormocarpum mimosoides, S. Moore, (i) Buchanan.
Herminiera elaphroxylon, Guill. et Perr. (i) Buchanan.
Aeschynomene aspera, L. (i) Elephant Marsh on Shire River, Kirk.
A. shirensis, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
A. indica, L. (i) Buchanan.
A. Schimperi, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
A. siifolia, Welw. (i) Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte.
A. ghttinosa, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
Aeschynomene spp. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Biantyre, Last ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ;
(2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; Carson.
Smithia nodulosa, Baker, (i) Chiradzulu, Meller.
S. strobilantha, Welw. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
5". strigosa, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
S. scaberrima, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
5. sensitiva, Ait. (i) Buchanan.
S. Carsoni, Baker, (i) Carson.
Smithia spp. (i) Zomba, Whyte; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson ; Carson.
Geissaspis humiiloides, Hiern. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot; Lower
plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Arachis kypogaea, L. (2) Nutt.
Desmodium dimorphum, Welw. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan.
D. Scalpe, DC. (i) Buchanan.
D. barbat um, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 243
LEGUMINOSAE.
Desnwdiiiin lasiocarpum, DC. (i) Buchanan.
D. gangeticum> DC. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller.
D. hirtum, Guill. et Perr. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte.
D. ascendens, DC. (1) Zomba, Whyte.
D. latifolium, DC. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Waller.
D. tanganyikense, Baker. (2) Carson.
D. paleaceum, Guill. et Perr. (i) Buchanan.
Desniodiuni spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Pseiidarthria Hookeri, W. et A. (2) Nutt.
Pseudarthria sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Alysicnrpus rugosus, DC. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands and Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot.
Alysicarpus sp. (i) Buchanan.
Lathyrits sp. (i) Buchanan.
Abrus precatorius, L. (i) Buchanan.
Clitorea ternatea, H. B. K. (i) Buchanan.
Dumasia villosa, DC. (i) Buchanan.
Glycine javanica, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Glycine sp. (2) Carson.
Teramnus sp. (i) Buchanan.
Erythrina tomentosa, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller.
E. Humet, E. Mey. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Shire River, Kirk.
Erythrina sp. (i) Buchanan.
Mucuna coriacea, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte
M. erecta, Baker. (2) Carson.
Mnctina sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Canavalia obtusifolia, DC. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
C. ensiformis, DC. (i) Buchanan.
Phaseolns lunatus, L. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
P. Kirkii, Baker, (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Phaseolus spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
Vigna vexillata, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
r. tuteola, Benth. (i) Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte ; Fort Johnston, Scott-Elliot.
V. Catjang, Walp. (i) Buchanan.
Vigna sp. (i) Buchanan.
Voandzeia subterranea, Thouars. (2) Nutt.
Psophocarpus longepedunculalus, Hassk. (i) Buchanan.
Dolichos btflonts, L. (2) Carson.
D. erectus, Baker fil. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte.
D. platypus, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
D. axillaris, E. Mey. (i) Mbami, L. Scott.
D.pteropus, Baker. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; Carson.
D. siinplicifolius, Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan.
D. xiphophyllus, Baker. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; Carson.
D. lupinoides, Baker. (2) Carson.
Dolichos spp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Cajanus indicus, Spreng. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Rhynchosia cyanosferma, Benth. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan
A', densiflora, DC. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
R. antenmtUfera, Baker, (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Meller.
R. caribaea, DC. (i) Buchanan.
244 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
LEGUMINOSAE.
RhyucJwsia minima, DC. (i) Buchanan; Upper Shire River, Scott-Elliot.
R. comosa, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Rhynchosia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Eriosema cajanoides, Hook. fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan; (2) Carson; (3) Serpa
Pinto.
E, parviflorum, E. Mey. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; Buchanan.
E.flemingioideS) Baker, (i) Buchanan.
E. shirensis, Baker fil. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
E. montanum, Baker fil. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
E. polystachyum, Baker. (2) Carson.
Eriosema spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson; Nutt ; Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
Flemingia rhodocarpa, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
F. macrocalyx, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Dalbergia Melanoxylon, Guill. et Perr. (i) Buchanan.
Dalbergia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Pterocarpus melli ferns, Welw. (i) Zomha, Whyte.
Pterocarpus sp. (0 Buchanan.
Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, Guill. et Perr., var. sericciis, Baker, (i) Zomba and east end of
Lake Chilwa, Meller ; Buchanan.
Lonchocarpus spp. (i) Buchanan.
Degiielia Stiihlmanni, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
Baphia racemosa, Hochst. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Baphia sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Osmosia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Swartsia madagascariensis, Desv. (i) Maravi country Kirk ; Buchanan.
Cordyla africana, Lour, (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
Cassia abbreviata, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; west shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk;
Buchanan.
C. pctersiana, C. Bolle. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller; Blantyre, Last; Buchanan;
Zomba and Chiradzulu, Whyte.
C. didymobotrya, Fresen. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; (2) Carson.
C. Grantii, Oliv. (r) Maravi country, Kirk.
C. Tora, L. (r) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
C. Kirkii, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk and Meller ; Buchanan.
C. mimosoides, L. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
C. occidentalis, L. (i) Buchanan.
C. Absns, L. (i) Buchanan.
C. goratensis, Fresen. (2) Carson.
Cassia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Bauhinia fassoglensis^ Kotschy. (i) Mananja hills, Waller ; Buchanan.
B. Kirkii, Oliv. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
B. Serpae, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
B. petersiana, Bolle. (i) Mananja hills, Waller; Buchanan; Mlanje, McClounie ; (2)
Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
B. reticulata, DC. (i) Shire River, Meller ; Buchanan.
Banliinia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Afzelia citansensis, Welw. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Afzelia sp. (2) Carson.
Cryptosepalnm maraviense, Oliv. (i) Maravi country, Kirk ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Cryptoscpalum sp. (i) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 245
LEGUMINOSAE.
Bracliystegia appendicitlata, Benth. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa, Kirk
(2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
B. globiflora, Benth. (i) Shire Highlands, Whyte.
B. longifolia, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
B.floribunda, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
Tamarindus indica, L. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan
(4) up the Zambezi to the Batoka country, Kirk.
Copaifera coleosperma, Benth. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Burkea africana, Hook, (i) Buchanan.
Trachylobium sp. Shire Highlands, Johnston.
Erythropkleum guitteense, Don. (i) Buchanan.
Parkin filicoidea, Welw. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Entada abyssinica, Steud. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Entada spp. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa, Meller ; Buchanan.
I*iptadcnia Bnc/ianani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Piptadenia sp. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Tetraplcurii undotigens/s, Welw. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Neptitnia oleracea, Lour, (i) Shire River, Kirk.
Dichrostachys me tans, Benth. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
D. nyassana, Taub. (i) Buchanan.
Acacia nigrescens, Oliv. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
A.pennata, Willd. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk.
A. lasiopetala, Oliv. (i) M'pemba hill, Kirk.
A. albida, Del. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
A. Kirkii, Oliv. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
A. Seyal, Del. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
A.fastigiata, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
Acacia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Calliandm sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Albiszia anthelmintica, A. Brongn. (i) Shire River, Meller.
A. Lcbbek, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
A. versicolor, Welw. (r) Maravi country, Kirk.
A.fastigiata, E. Mey. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte.
ROSACEAE.
Parinan'iem Mobola, Oliv. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Batoka country; Kirk.
P. capcnsc, Harv. (4) Sesheke, Kirk.
Pygcinn africamtm, Hook. fil. (i) Foot of Chiradzulu, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Rubiis apetalus, Poir. (i) Foot of Chiradzulu, Kirk; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
A', huillcnsis, \\relw. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Rubns&p. (i) Buchanan.
Alrltcinilla sp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
lincanfoUa, Eck. et Zeyh. (i) Mlanje, Whjte.
sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
SAXIFRAGACEAE.
Chorislylis shirensis, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, \\"hyte.
CRASSULACEAE.
'I'iliacn pcntiuidra, Royle. ,i Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan.
/'. aqmitica, L. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
246
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CRASSULACEAE.
Crassula globularioides, Britten, (i) Chiradzulu, Meller ; Mlanje, Whyte.
C. abyssinica, A. Rich, (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Crassitla spp. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan.
Kalanchoe platysepala, Welw. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk.
A', pzlosa, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
K. coccinea, Welw. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
KaLmchoe spp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Cotyledon sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
DROSERACEAE.
Drosera ranicntacea, Burch. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
D. affinis, Welw. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Xyasa, J. Thomson.
HAMAMELIDEAE.
Myrothamnns flabellifolia, Welw. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; Buchanan.
COMBRETACEAE.
Tcrminalia nyassensis, Engl. (i) Buchanan.
Terminalia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Combretinn holosericeum, Sond. (i) Chiradzulu, Kirk.
C. laurifoliiun, Engl. (i) Buchanan.
C. tomentosum, Don. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
C. oatesii, Rolfe. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
C. mweroense, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
C. splendcns, Engl. (i) Buchanan.
Combrelum spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
MYRTACEAE.
Eugenia cordata, Laws, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
E. owariensis, P. Beauv. (i) Buchanan.
Eugenia spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
MELASTOMACEAE.
Antherotoma Naitdini, Hook. fil. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Nutt.
Dissotis phaeotricha, Hook. fil. (i) Mpatamanga, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Xutt ; Carson.
D. Melleri, Hook. fil. (i) Chiradzulu and Mananja hills, Meller; Zomba, Kirk.
D. princcps, Triana. (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Kirk; Mlanje, Chiradzulu, and
Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
D. incana, Triana. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
D. johmtoniana, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
D. cryptantha, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Dissotis spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Tristemma sp. (2) Carson.
Osbcckia Antherotoma. Naud. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron.
Osbcckia spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Xyasa. J. Thomson. .
LYTHRACEAE.
Rotttli-tjUifortnis^ Hiern. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Nesaca heptamcru, Hiern. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa. Meller.
N.floribunda, Sond. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Ainmannia salicifolia, Monti. (2) Carson.
A. scnegalcnsis, Lam. (i) Buchanan.
Ainmanniti sp. (2) Carson ; (4) Menyharth.
Hcteropy.vis nataltnsis, Haw. (i) Buchanan.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 247
ONAGRACEAE.
Epilobium sp. (2) Carson.
Jussiaea pilosa, H. B. K. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Upper Shire, Scott-Elliot.
J. I'illosa, Lam. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller.
J linifolia, Vahl. (i) Upper Shire, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
Lndiuigia prostrata, Roxb. ( i ) Buchanan.
L. parvifo Ha, Roxb. (i) Buchanan.
L. jussiaeoides, Lam. (i) Buchanan.
Trapa bispinosa, Roxb. (r) Shire River, Kirk; Blantyre, Last ; Lake Nyasa. Laws(r).
HALORAGEAE.
Myriophyllum sp. (i) Lake Nyasa, Laws.
SAMYDACEAE,
Homaliiun • africanuni, Benth. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
TURNERACEAE.
Wormskiolctta longepedunculata, Mast. (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Waller;
Buchanan; Allanje, Whyte; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) North Nyasa,
L. Scott ; Carson ; var. integrifolia, Urb., Blantyre, Last.
//•". lobata, Urb. (i) Buchanan.
PASSIFLOREAE.
Tryphostemma apetalum, Baker fil. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Tryplwstemma sp. (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot.
Modecca stricta, Mast, (i) Murchison Falls, Meller.
Modecca sp. (i) Buchanan.
CUCURBITACEAE.
Trochomeria macrocarpa, Hook. fil. (i) North of Chiradzulu, Kirk.
Adenopus breviflorus, Benth. (i) Elephant Marsh on Shire River, Kirk; Buchanan.
Luffa aegvptiaca, Miller, (i) Buchanan.
Luffa sp. (2) Carson.
Lagenaria sp. (i) Buchanan.
Momordica Charantia, L. (i) Shire Valley. Kirk ; Buchanan.
M. Morkorra, A. Rich. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
J/. foctida, Schum. et Thonn. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Momordica spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
RaphanocarpKS Kirkii, Hook. fil. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; (4) Menyharth
Ciicumis inctiiliferus, E. Mey. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
C. Melo, L. (i) Buchanan.
Cu aunts spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Carson.
Zehneria microsperma, Hook. fil. (i) Katunga, Meller.
Zchncria sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte; Buchanan.
Miikin scabrella, Arn. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
Cephalandra sp. ? (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot.
Ctcnolcf>is sp. ? (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
BEGONIACKAE.
lic^onia sp. (i) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson ; Carson.
248 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
FlCOIDEAE.
Mollugo niidicauUs, Lam. (i) Buchanan.
M. Glinits, A. Rich, (i) Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot.
M. Spergula, L. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
M. verticillata, L. (i) Buchanan.
Mollngo sp. (i) Buchanan.
UMBELLIFERAE.
Hydrocotyle moschata, Forst. (i) Chiradzulu, Kirk.
H. asiatica, L. (i) Ruangwa, near Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte.
Alepidca anatymbica, Eck. et Zeyh. (j) Sochi, Kirk; Zomba, Whyte; Buchanan;
(2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson.
Sanicuhi europaea, L. (i) Buchanan.
Heteroinorpha arborescent, Cham, et Schlecht. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Chiradzulu,
Whyte ; Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
Pimpinella sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
Diphlophhim zambesiacuiii, Hiern. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Physotrichia Buchanani, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Zomba, Kirk.
Physolrichia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Peucedanum fraxinifolium, Hiern. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Chiradzulu, Whyte;
Buchanan.
Peucedanum sp. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
Lefeburia spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
Caucalia infesta, Curt, (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
C. mclanantha, Benth. et Hook. fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Lower plateau, north 'of
Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. pednnculata^ Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Cauca/ts sp. (i) Buchanan.
ARALIACEAE.
Cussonia spicata, Thunb. (i) Chiradzulu, Kirk ; Buchanan.
C. Kirldi, Seem, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Cussonia sp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
RUBIACEAE.
Adina microccpJiala, Hiern? (i) Buchanan.
Hymenodictyon Kurrni, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
H. parvifolitim, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
Crossopteryx kotschyana, Fenzl. (i) Buchanan.
Pentas purpurca, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Sochi and Mbami, Kirk; Buchanan ; Mianje
and Chiradzulu, Whyte.
P. carnea, Benth., var. Klotsichii, Scott-Elliot, (i) Buchanan.
P. longiflora, Oliv., var. nyassuna, Scott-Elliot, (i) Buchanan: Mlanje, McClounie ;
Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Lower plateau, north ot Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson.
P. confertifolia, Baker. (2) Carson.
P. modesta, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
Pentas spp. Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
-ia dilaia, Hiern. (i) Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte.
. (Pentas spcciosa, Baker), (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan-; Blantyre, Last.
Otomeria sp. (2) Carson.
Hedyotis spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 249
RUIIIACEAE.
Pentodon dccitmbens, Hochst. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Oldenlandia trincwia, Retz. (i) Buchanan.
O. echinulosa, K. Schum. (i) Buchanan.
O. globosa, Hiern. (i) Buchanan.
O. corymbosa, L. (i) Buchanan ; (2 Xutt.
O. macrophylla, DC. (r) Buchanan.
O. macrodonta, Baker. (2) Carson.
O. effusa, Oliv. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron.
O. Heynei, Oliv. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; (2) Carson.
(>. Bojeri, Hiern. (i) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
O. tenuissiina, Hiern. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
O. olk>criana, K. Schum. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
O. licdyotoides, Boiss. (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot.
O. lancifolia, Schweinf. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
O. virgata, DC. (2) Carson.
Oldenlandia spp. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte; Blantyre, Last; (2)
Carson.
Mussaenda arcnata, Poir. Mananja hills, Waller ; Kanjanje, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Shire
Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Nutt.
Mussaenda sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Sab;'cea&p" (0 Buchanan.
Heinsia fasmimflora, DC. (i) Shire River, Kirk; Blantyre, Last.
H. benguelensis, Welw. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Heinsia sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Berticra sp. ? (4) Menyharth.
Leptactina sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Chomclia Bnchananii, K. Schum. (i) Buchanan.
Randia Buchananii^ Oliv. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Randia spp. (i) Buchanan; Chiradzulu, Kirk; (2) Nutt.
Gardenia Thiinbergia, L. fil. (i) Lake Chilwa, Meller ; Mananja hills, Waller;
Buchanan.
G. resiniflua, Hiern. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
G. Manganjae, Hiern. (i) Mananja, Meller; Chiradzulu, Kirk; Buchanan.
Gardenia sp. (i) Near Lake Chilwa, Kirk ; Buchanan.
O. \yanihns sp. ? (i) Buchanan.
Zygoon gravcolens, Hiern. (i) Shire rapids, Kirk.
Empogona Kirkii, Hook. fil. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; (4) Menyharth.
Tricalysia Nyassae, Hiern. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
T. jastniniflora, Benth. et Hook. fil. (i) Lower Shire, Kirk; Mananja hills, Meller;
Buchanan.
T. A'tr/cti, Hiern. (i) River Shire, Kirk.
Tricalysia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Pcntanisia Sch-^einjiirtliii, Hiern. (2) Nutt; Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
Thomson.
rcntanisia spp. (i) Buchanan; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Cremaspora nfrianid, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
C coffe aides, Hemsl. (i) Ruo River, Johnston.
C'. heterophylla^ K. Schum. (i) Buchanan.
Polysplmeria lana'D/n/a, Hiern. (2) Karonga and Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau. Scott-Elliot.
Polysphacria spp. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Canthium foetidum, Hiern. (i) Mpatamanga, Kirk.
250 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
RUBIACEAE.
Canthiiim sanqucbaricum, Klotzsch. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
C. lanciflorum, Hiern. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
C. Guenzii, Sond. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Canthiiim spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (4) Menyharth.
Plectronia sp. (2) Carson.
I'angucria I'clutina, Hiern. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Buchanan; (4) Batoka
country, Kirk.
I '. edulis, Vahl. (i) Buchanan.
V. infatista, Burch. (i) Buchanan.
\\uigueria sp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Fadogia ancylantha, Schweinf. (i) Buchanan.
F. triphylla, Baker. (2) Carson.
Fadogia spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot and J.
Thomson ; Carson.
Craterispcrmuin laurinum, Benth. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Ixora laxiflora, Sm. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Ixora sp. (i) Buchanan.
Coffea arabica, L. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Pavetta gracilzs, Klotzsch. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot :
(4) Menyharth.
P. Baconia, Hiern. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
P. sclmmanniana, Ferd. Hoffm. (i) Buchanan.
P. canescens, DC. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Pavetta sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Zomba and Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Psychotria hirtella, Oliv. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Psyciiolria sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Grumilea Kirkii, Hiern. (i) Zomba, Kirk.
Siphomeris foetens, Hiern. (i) Shire Rapids, Kirk; (4) Menyharth.
Otiophora sp. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Anthospermumwhyteanum, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
A. lanceolatum, Thunb. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Anthospernntm sp. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Paederia foctida, L. (i) Buchanan.
Spermacoce scnensis, Hiern. (i) Near Sochi, Kirk.
i'. dibmchidta, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk and Meller ; Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte ;
Blantyre, Last.
.S'. stricta, L. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Spermacoce spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Xyasa, J. Thomson ;
Nutt.
Richardia sp. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron.
Riibia cordifolia, L. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron; Buchanan; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Gal him Aparinc, L. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
(/. rrcctum, Huds. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
G. stennphyllum, Baker, (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt ; Carson,
(y'. Mollugo, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Galhtin spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; Carson.
VALERIANACEAE.
Thunb. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 251
DlPSACEAE.
Cephalaria centaur aides, Roem. et Schult. (i) Between Mbami and Sochi, Kirk ;
Buchanan ; (2) Nutt ; Carson ; Xyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Cephalaria sp. (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Scabiosa Columbaria, L. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan ;
(2) Upper and Lower plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
COMPOSITAE.
Gutenbergia polyccphala, O. et H. (i) Lake Chilwa, Kirk.
Bothriocline Schimperi, O. et H. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte ;
Buchanan.
B. laxa, N. E. Br. (i) Blantyre, Last.
Vemonia marginata, O. et H. (i) Shire River, Stewart ; Buchanan ; Zomba and Chirad-
zulu, Whyte ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
V. purpurea, Sch. Bip. (i) Chiradzulu, .Meller.
V. cistifolia, O. Hoffm., var. rosea, O. Hoffm. (i) Buchanan.
V. Melleri, O. et H. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
V. o.vyura, O. Hoffm. (i) Buchanan.
V. pteropoda, O. et H. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller and Whyte ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
V. senegahnsis, Less, (i) Near Katunga, Meller ; (2) Nutt.
V. glabra, Yatke. (i) Shire River, Meller; Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Lower
plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
V. shirensis, O. et H. (i) Shire Valley, Meller.
/". oocephala, Baker, (i) Carson.
V. livingstoniana, O. et H. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Shire, Stewart ; Buchanan.
\\podocoma, Sch. Bip. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Buchanan.
V. aemulans. Vatke. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
V. cinerascens, Sch. Bip. (i) Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot.
V. decumbens, Vatke. (i) Buchanan.
V. cincrca, Less, (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; (2) Carson.
V. nataknsis, Sch. Bip. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte.
V. Perottctii, Sch. Bip. (2) Carson.
V.poskeana, Vatke et Hildebr. (i) Buchanan; Upper Shire, Scott-Elliot: Blantyre,
Last ; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
V. subaphylla, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
V. whytcana, Britten, (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Vernonia spp. (i and 2.) There are many unnamed specimens in the Herbarium at Kew
from all the botanists who have collected in these two regions.
ElepJiantopus scaber, L. (i) Buchanan.
Elcphantopus sp. (2) Carson.
Adenostemma viscosum, Forst. (i) Buchanan.
Aster sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Ageratum conyzoides, L. (i) Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Eiipatoriuin africanism, O. et H. (r) Buchanan ; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
Mikania scandcns, Willd. (i) Murchison Falls, Meller; Buchanan: Chiradzulu and
Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
Dicroccphala I at (folia, DC. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Felicia abyssinica, Sch. Bip. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Felicia sp. (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Erigcron sp. (2) Nutt.
Microglossa i>oh<bilis, DC. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Nidorella nricroccphala, Steetz. (i) Shire Valley, Meller: Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte:
Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
252 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
COMPOSITAE.
Nidorella sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Conyza perstcifotia, O. et H. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
C. variegata, Sch. Bip. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
C. Hochstetteri, Sch. Bip. (i) Buchanan.
C. aegyptiaca, Ait. (i) Mlanje, \Vhyte.
Conyza spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Psiadia sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Bhunea lacera, DC. (i) Zomba, Whyte; Buchanan; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau,
Scott-Elliot.
Blumea sp. (i) Buchanan.
Laggera brevipcs, O. et H. (i) Sochi, Kirk.
L. a/ata, Sch. Bip. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Denekia capensis, Thunb. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Sphaeranthus hirtus, Willd. (i) Buchanan.
Sphaeranthns sp. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron ; (2) Carson ; Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; (4) Menyharth.
Amphidoxa filaginea, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Achyrocltne batocana, O. et H. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
A. Hochstetteri, Sch. Bip. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Mlanje, Whyte.
A. Schimperi, Sch. Bip. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Mlanje, Whyte.
Gnaphalium Steudelu, Sch. Bip. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
G. luteo-album, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Gnaphalium sp. (i) Buchanan.
Helichrysum pachyrhizum, Harv. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
H. auricu/atum, Less. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Shire, Stewart; Zomba, Whyte;
Buchanan ; Katunga, Kirk.
H. Kirkii,Q. et H. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Sochi, Kirk; Shire, Stewart; Maravi
country (?) Kirk ; Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
H. nitons, O. et H. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller ; Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Blantyre,
Last ; Buchanan.
H. argyrosphaerum, DC. (i) Maravi country. Livingstone and Kirk.
H. globosiim, Sch. Bip. (i) Buchanan.
H. gerberaefolium, Sch. Bip. (i) Sochi, Kirk ; Shire River, Stewart ; Mlanje, Whyte.
//. Pctcrsii, O. et H. (i) Mpatamanga, Kirk.
H. o.vypliyllitm, DC. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
H. (.yinosiun, D. Don. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; Blantyre, Last; Buchanan.
H. Buchananii) Engl. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte; Mlanje, McClounie; Blantyre,
Last ; Buchanan.
H. midifloruin, Less, (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
H. whyleanum, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
//. inilanjiense, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
H. densifloruin, Oliv. (\) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
H. lati folium, Less, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
H. iindatum, Less, (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan ; Blantyre, L. Scott.
//. Lastii, Engl. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
H.foctiditm, Cass. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
1/eUchrysnm spp. (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Mlanje, McClounie;
Blantyre, Last and L. Scott ; (2) Upper and Lower plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
Atlinxia rosmarinifolia, O. et H. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller; Zomba, Mlanje, and Chiradzulu,
Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 253
COMPOSITAE.
Inula glomerata^ O. et H. (i) Sochi, Kirk ; Buchanan.
/. shirensis, Oliv. (i) Buchanan.
I mt la spp. (i) Buchanan.
Bojeria vcstila, Baker. (2) Carson.
Geigeria Zeyhcri, Harv. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Sphacophyllum Lastii, O. Hoffm. (i) Blantyre, Last.
S. Kirkii, Oliv. (i) Zomba, Kirk.
Anisopappus africatnis, O. et H. (i) Buchanan.
Anisopappus sp. (2) Carson.
Ambrosia sp. (2) Carson.
Eclipta erecta, L. (i) Buchanan.
Epallage dent at a, DC. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Blainvillea gay ana, Cass. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Itlainvillea sp. (i) Buchanan.
Aspilia Kotschyi, Benth. et Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan.
Aspilia spp. (i) Shire Highlands and Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan ; Chiradzulu,
Whyte ; (2) Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson ; Nutt.
Melanthera abyssinica, O. et H. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
M. Brownci, Sch. Bip. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
Sptfanthes Acmella, L. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Spilanthes sp. (2) Nutt.
Siegesbeckia abyssinica, O. et H. (i) Buchanan.
Guisotia bidentoides, O. et H. (i) Maiianja hills, Kirk.
Guisotia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Coreopsis Steppia, Steetz. (i) Maiianja hills, Kirk; Chiradzulu, Whyte; Buchanan;
(2) Carson.
C. Grantii, Oliv. (2) Carson.
Coreopsis spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan ; (2) Xutt.
Bidcns lincariloba, O. et H. (2) Carson.
B. pilosa, L. (i) Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of
Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Bide us sp. (2) Carson.
Chrysanthclliini procumbens, Pers. (i) Buchanan.
Jaumea sp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Gynura cernua, Benth. (i) Zomba and Chiradzulu, Whyte; Mananja hills, Meller ;
Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot ; Lower
plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson.
G. amplc.vicaulis, O. et H. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
G. crepidioides, Benth. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
G. vitellina, Benth. (2) Carson.
Gynura spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Gongrothamnus divaricatits, Steetz. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk and Meller.
Cineraria /ci/iwanscharica, Engl. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Cineraria spp. (i) Buchanan.
Emilia sagitttifa, DC. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Shire Valley, Kirk ; Blantyre, Last ;
(2) Carson.
E. integrijolia, Baker. (2) Nutt ; Carson ; Lower plateau north of Lake Nyasa, J.
Thomson.
Emilia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Scnccic buplcuroides, DC. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Sochi, Kirk ; Buchanan.
S. cyanens, O. Hoffm. (i) Buchanan.
254 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
COM POSIT A E.
Senecio ddtoidciis, Less, (i) ? Mpatamanja, Kirk ; Buchanan.
.V. subscandens, Hochst. (i) Murchison Falls, Meller.
5. mweroensis, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
S. lasiorltiziis, DC. (i) Mlanje, McClounie and PWhyte.
S. latifolius, DC. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
S. auriculatissimus, Britten, (i) Zomba and Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
S. whyteanus, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Senecio spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2)
Nutt ; Carson.
Othonna whyteana, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
Tripteris monocephala, O. et H. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
Osteospermum moniliferum, L. (i) Buchanan; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
Haplocarpha scaposa, Harv. (i) Sochi, Kirk ; (2) Carson.
Gazania serrulata, DC. (i) Sochi, Kirk.
Gazania sp. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Berkheya Zeyheri, Sond. et Harv. (i) Kanjanje, Kirk; Buchanan; (2) Upper plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
B.johnstoniana, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
B. subnlata, Harv. (i) Zomba, Kirk ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
Berkheya sp. (2) Carson.
Carduus leptacanthns, Nees. (i) Buchanan.
Pleiotaxis pulcherrima, Steetz. (2) Carson.
Pleiotaxis sp. (2) Carson.
Erythrocephahun zambesiacum, O. et H. (i) Shire Valley, Waller; Mananja country,
Kirk ; Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Mlanje and
Zomba, Whyte.
Erythrocephalum spp. (2) Carson ; Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Phyllactinia Grantii, Benth. (2) Carson.
Dicoma Kirkii, Harv. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
D. sessiliflora, Harv. (i) Lake Chilwa, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
D. anomala, Sond. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
D. tomentosa, Cass. (4) Menyharth.
D. quinqnevidnera, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
Gerbera abyssinica, Sch. Bip. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie; Zomba, Whyte;
Buchanan.
G. piloselloides, Cass. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Gerbera spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Buchanan; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, Scott-Elliot ; Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Tolpis abyssinica, Sch. Bip. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
Crepis sp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
Lactuca abyssinica, Fresen. (i) Buchanan.
L. capensis, Thunb. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
Lactuca sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; (2) Carson.
Sonchus Bipontini, Aschers. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller.
S. Schiveinfurthii, O. et H. (i) Buchanan.
S. rarifolius, O. et H. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa, Meller.
5. oleraceus, L. (i) Buchanan.
Sonchus spp. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie.
Lobelia trullifolia, Hemsl. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 255
CAMPAN ULACEAE.
Lobelia Melleri, Hemsl. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
L. Nyassae, Engl. (i) Buchanan.
L. nnda, Hemsl. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
L.fervens, Thunb. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
L. naialcnsis, A. DC. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
L. coronopifolia^. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Zomba, Whyte.
Lobelia spp. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Blantyre, Last ; (2) Carson ; Nutt ; Upper
and Lower plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Cephalostigma hirsutmn, Edgw. (i) Near Katunga, Meller.
Sphenoclea zeylanica, Gaertn. (4) Menyharth.
Lightfootia abyssinica, Hochst. (i) Marianja hills, Meller; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte •
Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Nutt.
L. arenaria, A. DC. (i) Blantyre, Last.
Lightfootia, spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Upper and Lower plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa
J. Thomson.
Wahlenbergia oppositifolia, A. DC. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
W. virgata, Engl. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
Wahlenbergia spp. (i) McClounie ; Buchanan ; (2) Nutt ; Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
VACCINIACEAE.
Vacci ilium africanum, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
ERICACEAE.
Aganria salitifolia, Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
Erica johnstoniana, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
E. ivhyteana, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Erica sp. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Mlanje, McClounie ; Buchanan.
Blacria setulosa, Welw. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
B. microdonta, Wright, (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Blaeria sp. (i) Blantyre, Last.
Philippia milanjiensis, Britten et Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
P. bengitellensis, Welw. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Philippia spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Ericinella Mannii, Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan.
PLU.MBAGINACEAE.
Plumbago zeylanica, L. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
PRIM ULACEAE.
Anagallis qitartiniana, Engl. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Anagallis sp. (2) Carson.
MYRSINKAE.
Maesn lanccolata, Forsk. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte; Buchanan.
Maesa sp. (i) Buchanan.
Myrsine. africana, L. (i) Mlanje, McClounie; Buchanan.
^. (i) Buchanan.
256 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
SAPOTACEAE.
ChrysophyUum mctgalismontanitm, Sond. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
C. Stithlmannii) Engl. (i) Buchanan.
ChrysophyUum spp. (i) Buchanan.
Sideroxylon brevipes, Baker. (2) North end of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Mimusops Mochtsia, Baker. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
M. Kirkii, Baker, (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk.
.]/. linchananii) Engl. (i) Buchanan.
EBENACEAE.
Royena pallens, Thunb. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; (4) Sesheke, Kirk.
R. whyteana, Hiern. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Royena sp. (i) Buchanan.
Enclea Divinorum, Hiern. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
E. multiflora, Hiern. (4) Menyharth.
Euclea sp. (i) Buchanan.
Maba spp. (i) Buchanan.
Diospvros shirensis, Hiern. (i) Fort Johnston and River Ruo, Scott-Elliot.
D. batokana, Hiern. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Diospyros sp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
OLEACEAE.
Jasminium stenolobum, Harv. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ;
Buchanan ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
/. brachyscyphum, Baker, (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie.
/. Walleri, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Waller.
/. mauritianum, Bojer. (i) Buchanan; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson ; (4)
Sesheke, Holub.
/. niicrophyllum, Baker, (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
J. Kirkii, Baker, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Jasminium spp. (i) Buchanan.
Schrebera Buchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
S. alata, Wehv. (i) Buchanan.
S. golungensis, Welw. (4) Menyharth.
Schrebera sp. (i) Buchanan.
SALVADORACEAE.
" Salvadora persica, L. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Azima spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Menyharth.
APOCYNACEAE.
Landolphia Kirkii, Dyer, (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Landolphia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Carissa Arduina, Lam. (i) Buchanan.
C. edulis,V&\\\. (i) Buchanan; Mananja hills, Meller: Chiradzulu, Whyte and Kirk;
(4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Diplorrhynchus mossambicensis, Benth. (i) Buchanan; (4) Menyharth.
D. psilopus, Welw. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Ranwolfia caffra, Sond. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja and Katunga, Kirk.
Holarrhcna fcbrifuga, Klotzsch. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller ; west side of Lake
Nyasa, Kirk ; Zomba, Whyte ; Lake Chilwa, McClounie ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, Scott-Elliot.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 257
APOCYNACEAE.
Tabernacmontana stapfiana, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
T. ventricosa, Hochst. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
T. clegans. (i) River Ruo, Johnston.
Voacanga africana, Stapf. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot;
Buchanan.
Stroplianthus Konibe, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; (4) Victoria Falls,
Kirk.
*S\ ecaudatits, Rolfe. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Stroplianthus sp. (2) Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott- Elliot.
Mascarenhasia variegata, Britten et Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Adenium multiflorum, Klotzsch. (i) Near Metope, L. Scott.
ASCLEPIADACEAE.
Cryptolepis obtusa, N. E. Br. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller ; (4) Menyharth.
C. Welwitschii, Schlechter. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Cryptolepis sp. (i) Mananja hills and west shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk; Shire Highlands,
Scott-Elliot.
Raphionacme grandtflora, N. E. Br. (i) Blantyre, Last.
R. longifolia, N. E. Br. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk.
Secamonc zambesiaca, Schlechter. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Chiromo, Scott-Elliot.
Taccazia Kirkii, N . E. Br. (4) Menyharth.
Chlorocodon Whytei, Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan.
Daemia cxtensa, R. Br. (i) Shire Valley, Meller; Buchanan.
D. barbata, Klotzsch. (4) Menyharth.
Xysmahbium spuriitm, N. E. Br. (i) Buchanan.
X. Carsoni, N. E. Br. (2) Carson.
X. bellum, N. E. Br. (i) Buchanan; Mananja hills, Kirk; Shire Highlands, K. C.
Cameron ; (2) Carson.
X. reticitlatum, N. E. Br. (i) Buchanan.
X.fraternitiii, N. E. Br. (i) Blantyre, Last.
Xysmalobium sp. (2) Carson.
Schizoglossum connatum, N. E. Br. (2) Carson.
. elatum, K. Schum. (i) Buchanan.
-S. shirense, N. E. Br. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk and Waller.
S. Nyasae, Britten et Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; Buchanan.
S. barbatum, Britten et Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
S. erttbesccns, Schlechter. (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot.
Schizoglossum sp. (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot; (4) Menyharth.
Asclepias spectabilis, N. E. Br. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; Magomera, Waller.
A. consptcna, N. E. Br. (2) Carson.
A.fniticosa, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller.
A. amabilis, N. E. Br. (2) Carson.
A.pygmaca, N. E. Br. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
A. reflexa, Britten et Rendle. (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Waller; Zomba, Meller;
Mlanje, Whyte ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan ; (2) North Nyasa,
L. Scott.
A. lincolata, Schlechter. (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot; Shire Valley, Kirk and Waller;
(2) Carson.
A. palustris, Schlechter. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Mlanje, Scott-Elliot and McClounie.
Asclepias sp. (2) Nutt.
258 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
ASCLEPIADACEAE.
Gomphocarpns foliosus, K. Schum. (i) Marianja hills, Waller; Blantyre, Last; (2)
Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Brachystelma Bitchanani, N. E. Br. (i) Sochi, Chiromo and Mananja, Scott-Elliot;
Buchanan.
Cynanclniin nwssanibiccnsc, K. Schum. (i) Shire Rapids, Kirk.
Margaretta distincta, N. E. Br. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
M. orbicularis, N. E. Br. (i) Maravi country, Kirk ; (2) North Nyasa, L. Scott.
M. Wkytei, K. Schum. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller ; Zomba and east end of Lake Chihva,
Meller ; Blantyre, L. Scott ; Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; near Metope, Scott-Elliot.
Dregea macrant/ia, Kl. (i) Chiromo, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Menyharth.
Gymnema sylvestre, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
Pergularia africana, N. E. Br. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Sphacrocodon obtusifolium, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
Ceropegia constricta, N. E. Br. (2) Carson.
C. debtlis, N. E. Br. ( i ) Zomba, Buchanan.
Riocreuxia prof lisa, N. E. Br. (i) Buchanan.
LOGANIACEAE.
Mostuaea Brunonis, F. Didrichs. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Bnddleia salviaefolia, Lam. (i) Zomba, Kirk and Whyte ; Buchanan.
Buddleia sp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Nuxia congesta, R. Br. (i) Buchanan; Zomba, Whyte; var. N. tomentosa, Sond/f (i)
Buchanan ; var. N. dentata, R. Br. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
N. sambesina, Gilg. (i) Zomba, Kirk.
Strychnos dysophylla, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
5. spinosa, Lam. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Strychnos sp. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Anthodeista zambesiaca, Baker, (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
A. nobilis, Don. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Anthodeista sp. (i) Buchanan.
GENTIANACEAE.
Exacuin sp. (i) Buchanan.
Sebaea bradiyphylla, Griseb. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
S. crassulaefolia, Cham, et Schlecht. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Sebaea sp. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Tadiiadcnus continentalis, Baker. (2) Carson.
Chironia purpurascens, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
C. laxiflora, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Kirk.
C. densiflora, Scott-Elliot, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Chironia sp. (2) Nutt.
Faroa salutaris, Welw. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
F. Bndianani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Swertia Mannii, Hook. fil. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
spp. (i) Buchanan.
BORAGINEAE.
Cordia abyssinica, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
C. Myxa, L. (i) Buchanan.
C. Kirldi, Baker. (4) Menyharth.
C. Rot/tit, Roem. et Schult. (4) Menyharth.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 259
BORAGINEAE.
Ehrctia divaricata, Baker, (i) Chiradzulu, Kirk.
Ehretia sp. (4) Menyharth.
Trichodesma zeylanicum, R. Br. (i) Blantyre, Descamps.
T. physaloides, A. DC. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilvva, Meller ; Mananja hills,
Meller ; Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Carson ;
Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
Heliotropiitm oral i folium, Forsk. (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott ; Fort Johnston, Scott-Elliot.
H. strigosttm, Willd. (i) Buchanan.
H. bractcatum, R. Br. (2) North Nyasa, L. Scott.
H. zeylanicmn, Lam. (i) Buchanan ; North Nyasa, L. Scott and J. Thomson.
H. indicum, L. (i) Shire River, L. Scott ; Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Cynoglossum hmceolatum, Forsk. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan ;
(2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Lithospermiiin crythrocephaliim, Baker. (2) Carson.
Lobostemon cryptoccphalnm, Baker. (2) Carson.
CONVOLVULACEAE.
Argyreia laxiflora, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Lepistemon africanum, Oliv. (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk ; Lake Nyasa, Simons.
Heivittia bicolor, Wight, (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte; Mananja hills, Meller; Shire Valley,
L. Scott ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Jacqiiemontia capita ta, Don. (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott.
Convolvulus hyoscyamoides, Vatke. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. iiKili'aceus, Oliv. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Mlanje, Whyte; Buchanan;
(2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. sagtttatiis, Thunb. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. Thomsoni, Baker. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Evolvulus alsinoidcs, L. (i) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
fpomoea simplex, Thunb. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
/. Pes-tigridis, L. (4) Menyharth.
/. tanganyikensis. Baker. (2) Carson.
/. discolor, Baker. (2) Carson.
/. operosa, Wright, (i) Shire Highlands, Whyte.
/. involucnita, P. Beauv. (i) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Lpilcata, Roxb. (2) Carson; Nutt.
/. crassipes, Hook, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Buchanan.
/. chryseides, Ker. (4) Menyharth.
/. Hanntngtom, Baker. (2) Carson.
/. / I'd-idtsc/in, Yatke. (i) Buchanan.
/. (ingiistfo/ia, Jacq. (i) Buchanan; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J.
Thomson ; (3) Serpa Pinto ; (4) Menyharth.
/. vngtins, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
/. Carson i, Baker. (2) Carson.
/. inconspiciui. Baker, (i) Buchanan.
/. erio.drpa, R. Br. (i) Shire Highlands, V. Scott; Buchanan; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, J. Thomson ; (4) Menyharth.
I. iiiwerooisis, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
L pharbitifortnis, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
/. stmonsiiina, Rendle. (i) Nyasa, Simons.
/. shirensiS) Oliv. (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk ; Buchanan.
f. liallcriana, Britten, (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte; near Katunga, Kirk.
260 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CONVOLVULACEAE.
Ipomoca tambclcnsis, Baker, (i) Upper Shire Valley, Kirk.
I.obsaira, Koen. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau,
J. Thomson.
/. Buchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
/. Undleyi, Choisy. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (4) ? Menyharth.
/. aqiiatica, Forsk. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
I.pilosa, Sweet, (i) Buchanan; (4) Menyharth.
/. Wightii, Choisy. (4) Menyharth.
/. afra, Choisy. (i) Buchanan.
Lpterygocaulis, Choisy. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
I.pinnata, Hochst. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
/. palmata, Forsk. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
/. dissecta, Willd. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
I. kirkuma, Britten, (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk ; Buchanan.
I.fulvicaulis, Boiss. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
SOLANACEAE.
Solatium nodiflorum, Jacq. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk.
S. nigrum, L. (i) Blantyre, Descamps.
S. schimperianum, Hochst. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
5. Naumannii, Engl. (i) Buchanan.
S. anomalum, Thonn. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
S. aculeastrum, Dun. (i) Blantyre, L. Scott ; Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller.
S. Rohrti, Wright, (i) Mpatamanga, Kirk.
5. chrysotrichum, Wright, (i) Buchanan.
S. acanthocalyx, Klotzsch. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte.
S. trepidans, Wright, (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott.
Pliysalis pubescens, L. (i) Blantyre, Descamps.
P. pcruviana, L. (i) Blantyre, L. Scott.
Capsicum conoides, Mill. (4) Sesheke, Kirk.
Datura alba, Nees. (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller.
SCROPHULARIACEAE.
Diclis ovata, Benth. (i) Mandala, Scott-Elliot.
D. tenella, Hemsl. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
• Hal I ena Indda, L. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
H. elliptic*, Thunb. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Chaenostoma sp. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Uimuliisgnicilis, R. Br. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa, Meller ; Buchanan.
Craterostigma plantagineunii Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
Torenia pannflora, Hamilt. (2) North of Lake Nyasa, L. Scott.
Vanddlia lobclioides, Oliv. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
Ilysanthcs sp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Valley, L. Scott ; (2) Nutt.
Alectra melmnpyroides, Benth. (i) Mbami, near Blantyre and Mananja hills, Kirk;
Ikichanan ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Alectra, sp. (i) Buchanan.
Atihiya obtiisifolia, Benth. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron.
Huchncra quadrifaria, Baker. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J
Carson ; Nutt.
B. Lasiii. Engl. (i) Blantyre, Last.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 261
SCROPHULARIACEAE.
Biichnera spp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan; Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte ;
(2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Striga elegans, Benth. (i) Blantyre, Last.
S. cocdnea, Benth. (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk ; Buchanan,
.s. Forbesii, Benth. (i) Shire Highlands, Meller.
S. orobanchoides, Benth. (2) North of Lake Xyasa, L. Scott ; Carson.
Striga spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) North of Lake Nyasa, L. Scott ; Carson.
Rhamphicarpa fistulosa, Benth. (2) North of Lake Nyasa, L. Scott.
R. serrata, Klotzsch. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilvva, Meller ; Buchanan.
A', tubulosciy Benth. (i) Mandala, Scott-Elliot.
Rhamphicarpa spp. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Cycninm udotiensc, E. Mey. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte; Buchanan; (2) Carson;
Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
C. longiflorum, Eck. et Zeyh. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk; Buchanan; (2) North of Lake
Xyasa, J. Thomson and L. Scott.
Cycnium spp. (i) Buchanan; (2) Carson.
Sopitbia Janata, Engl. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
6". mmosa, Hochst. (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Kirk ; Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan ;
(2) Carson ; Nutt.
S. dregcana, Benth. (i) Zomba, Whyte; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
S. Hildebrandtii, Vatke. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Sopubia spp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson; Carson.
OROBANCHACEAE.
Orobanche ccrnna, Loefl. (i) Shire Highlands, L. Scott.
LENTIBULARIACEAE.
UtricuJaria capensis, Spreng. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
Utrictdaria spp. (i) Buchanan ; Lake Nyasa, Laws ; (2) Nutt ; Carson ; Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; (4) Victoria Falls and Batoka country, Kirk.
GESNERACEAE.
Streptocarpus caulescens, Vatke. (i) Buchanan.
S. Cooperi, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
BlGNONIACEAE.
Tecoma shirensis, Baker, (r) Buchanan.
71 nyassae, Oliv. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Dolichandrone obtusifolia, Baker, (r) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-Elliot.
D. toincntosa, Benth. (2) Carson.
Stcreospennnin kunthiannm, Cham. (i) Shire Highlands, Waller ; Buchanan ; Chirad-
zulu, Meller ; West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; (2) Mweru, Carson ; (4) Batoka
country, Kirk.
Kigelia pinnata, DC. (i) Buchanan.
PEDALINEAE.
Sesamum angolense, Welw. (i) Buchanan ; West shore of Lake Xyasa, Kirk ; Blantyre ;
Last ; (2) Carson ; Xutt.
S. indicum, L. (2) Karonga, L. Scott.
S. \calycinum, Welw. (4) Holub.
Ceratothcca sesamoides, Endl. Buchanan ; (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott ; West shore of
Lake Nyasa, Kirk and Simons ; (2) Carson ; Karonga, L. Scott ; (4) Holub.
Ceratothcca sp. (2) Karonga, L. Scott.
1'rclrcii -.anqiiebarica, J. Gay. (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa, Meller; (4) Holub.
262 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
SELAGINEAE.
Hebenstreitia sp. (4) Holub.
Selago milanjiensis, Rolfe. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
6". whyteana, Rolfe. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
Selago spp. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller and Whyte; Mlanje, McClounie; Buchanan; (2)
Lower and Upper plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; (4) Menyharth.
ACANTHACEAE.
Thunbergia kirkiana, T. Anders, (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
T. a/a/a, Bojer. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte; Mananja hills, Kirk and Meller;
(2) Carson.
T. lancifolia, T. Anders, (i) Blantyre, L. Scott ; Mananja hills and Chiradzulu, Meller;
Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson.
T. obtusifolia, Oliv. (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
T. erecta, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last ; Mananja hills, Waller.
T. oblongifolia, Oliv. (i) Mananja hills, Waller; Buchanan; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, Scott-Elliot.
T. subulata, Lindau. (i) Buchanan.
T. mollis, Lindau. (i) Buchanan.
T. manganjensis, Lindau. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk.
Thunbergia spp. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2)
Nutt ; Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Nelsonia campestris, R. Br. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Hygrophila spinosa, T. Anders, (i) Buchanan ; Shire River, Kirk.
H. parviflora, Lindau. (i) Buchanan.
Mellera lobulata, S. Moore, (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller.
Calophanes spp. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Ruellia pro strata, T. Anders, (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Lower Shire
Valley, Kirk ; (2) Carson.
Paulo-wilhclmia sp. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Mananja hills, Meller.
Mimnlopsis sesamoides, S. Moore, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Mimulopsis sp. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Eranthemnm senense, Klotzsch. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie ; Mananja hills, Kirk.
Acanthopale sp. (Dischistocalyx confertiflora, Lindau). (i) Buchanan.
Whitfieldia sp. (2) Carson.
Dyschoriste, sp. {Calophanes verticillaris, Oliv.) (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ;
Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Dyschoriste spp. (2) Carson ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Strobilanthes sp. (i) Buchanan.
Phaylopsis parviflora, Willd. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Phaylopsis sp. (Micranthus Poggei, Lindau). (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Blepharis serrnlata, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
B. longifolia, Lindau. (i) Buchanan.
Blepharis spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutf.
Crossandra Greenstockii, S. Moore, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Mlanje, Whyte and
McClounie ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
C. nilotica, Oliv. (2) Tanganyika and Mweru, Carson.
C. puberula, Klotzsch. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller and Kirk ; Mananja hills, Meller ;
Buchanan.
Crossandra sp. (i) Buchanan.
Barleria Kirkii, T. Anders, (i) Buchanan.
B. calophylloides, Lindau. (i) Nutt.
/,'. Prionitis, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Meller.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 263
ACANTHACEAE.
Barleria spinulosa, Klotzsch. (i) River Shire, Meller and Kirk : Buchanan.
B. eranthemoides, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
Barleria sp. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Crabbeanana, Nees (C. aovalifolia, Ficalho et Hiern.) (3) Serpa Pinto.
Crabbea sp. (i) Buchanan.
Lepidagathis spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
Asystasia coromandeliana, Nees. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Asystasia sp. (2) Carson.
Brachystephanus africanus, S. Moore, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Justicia Whytei, S. Moore, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
J. heterocarpa, T. Anders. (2) Nutt.
J. anselliana, T. Anders, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
J. melainpyrum, S. Moore, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Justicia spp. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Blantyre, Last ; Shire Highlands and
Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Nutt ; Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Isoglossa milanjiensis, S. Moore, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Isoglossa sp. (i) Buchanan.
Rhinacanthus commitnis, Nees. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Rhinacanthiis sp. (i) Buchanan; Blantyre, Last ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Himantochilus marginatus, Lindau. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Dicliptera sp. (i) Buchanan.
Peristrophe bicalyculata, Nees. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Hypoestes -vertidllaris, R. Br. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
H. phaylopsoides, S. Moore, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
H. Rothii, T. Anders, (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
H. latifo/ia, H. (i) Buchanan.
Hypoestes spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
VERBENACEAE.
Lantana salviaefolia, Jacq. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Shire
Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson;
Carson; Nutt; (3) Serpa Pinto.
Lippia nodiflora, A. Rich, (i) Buchanan.
L. asperifolia, Rich, (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Lippia sp. (2) Carson.
Priva leptosiachya, Juss. (i) Buchanan.
Premna scnensis, Klotzsch. (i) Buchanan.
Premna sp. (i) Buchanan.
Holmskioldia tettensis, Vatke. (i) Banks of Shire River, Kirk.
Vitex milanjiensis, Britten, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Mlanje and Zomba,
Whyte ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
V. Mombassae, Vatke. (i) Buchanan.
V. paludosa, Vatke. (i) River Shire, Kirk; Buchanan; Maiianja hills, Meller; (2)
Karonga, L. Scott.
V. Buchananii, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Vitex spp. (i) Buchanan ; Lake Chilwa, Kirk ; (4) Menyharth.
Clerodendron tanganyikense, Baker. (2) Carson.
C. capitation, Schum. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J.
Thomson ; Carson.
C. discolor, Vatke. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
264 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
VERBENACEAE.
Clerodendron lanccolatum, Giirke. (4) Menyharth.
C. myricoides, R. Br. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte ; Shire Highlands,
Scott-Elliot ; Mananja hills, Meller.
C. spinescens, Giirke. (i) Maravi country, Kirk ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Clerodendron spp. (i) Maiianja hills, Meller ; Lower Shire Valley, Waller ; Buchanan.
LABIATAE.
Ocimum suave, Willd. (i) Shire Highlands, Last ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Nutt.
O. affinc, Hochst. (i) Blantyre, L. Scott ; Mlanje, McClounie ; (2) Carson.
O.filamentosum, Forsk. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
O. cornigertim, Hochst. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
O. hians, Benth. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
O. bracteosum, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
Ocimum spp. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot, L. Scott and K. C. Cameron ;
(2) Upper and Lower plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa.
Acrocephalus caUianthus, Briquet, (i) Buchanan; Chiradzulu, Whyte; Blantyre, Last;
Mananja hills, Meller.
A. zambesiacus, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
A. caeruleus, Oliv. (2) Nutt.
Acrocephalus spp. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Kirk ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson ; Nutt.
Orthosiphon coloratus, Vatke. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
O. trichodon, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
O. Kirkii, Baker, ined. ex. Britten, in Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd Ser. iv., p. 37. (i) Mlanje,
Whyte.
O. Canter oni, Baker. (2) Carson.
Orthosiphon spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Geniosporum affine, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
Moschosma polystachyum, Benth. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
M. riparium, Hochst. (i) Murchison Falls, Meller; Chiradzulu, Whyte; Last;
Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, L. Scott ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
Moschosma sp. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
Coleus umbrosus, Vatke. (i) Blantyre, Descamps.
C. leucophyllus, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
C. punctatus, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
C. shirensis, Giirke (Plectranthus glandulosies, Britten, non Hook. fil.). (i) Buchanan;
Zomba, Whyte.
Coleus spp. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Carson.
Solenostemon sp. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Aeolanthus Nyassae, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
A. ukambensis, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
Aeolanthus spp. (i) Buchanan.
Pycnosiachys parvifolia, Baker. (2) Carson.
P. verticillata, Baker. (2) Carson.
P. cyanea, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
P. pnbescens, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
P. reticulata, Benth. (2) Carson.
P. urtici folia, Hook, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Pycnostachys spp. (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Plectranthus subacaulis, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 265
LABIATAE.
PlcctnintJnis niodcstus, Baker. (2) Carson.
PL floribitndus, N. E. Br. ; var. longipes, N. E. Br. (i) Marianja hills, Meller ;
Maravi country, Kirk; Buchanan; Shire Highlands, L. Scott; (2) Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
PL elegans, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
PL priinulinus, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
PL sangu incus, Britten, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
PL betonicaefolins, Baker. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
PL dcnsus, N. E. Br. (2) Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
PL manganjensis, Baker, ined. ex. Britten, in Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd Ser. iv., p. 37. (i)
Zomba, Whyte.
Plectranthits sp. (PL Mellcri, Britten, non Baker), (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Chiradzulu,
Meller.
Plectranthiis spp. (i) Shire Valley and Mananja hills, Kirk; Buchanan; Last; Shire
Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ;
Carson.
Hoslimdia opposita, Vahl. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte; Mananja hills, Zomba and
east end of Lake Chilwa, Meller.
Hyptis pcctinata, Poit. (i) Zomba and Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Blantyre, Descamps.
Calamintha simensis, Benth. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Micromeria biflora, Benth. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Xyasa,
J. Thomson.
Micromeria sp. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
Elsholtzia sp. (2) Carson.
Achyrospermum sp. (i) Ndirande Mountain, Buchanan.
Lasiocorys sp. (2) Carson.
Lconitis pallida, R. Br. (i) Blantyre, Descamps.
L. nepetaefolia, R. Br. (2) Carson.
L. Leonitrus, R. Br. (2) Carson.
L. I'diitina, Fenzl. (i) Buchanan ; Descamps ; Mananja hills, Meller.
Leonitis spp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Tinnea sp. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Scutellaria paucifolia, Baker. (2) Carson ; Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson ; Mweru, Carson.
.5". Livingstonei, Baker, ined. ex. Britten, in Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd ser. iv. p. 37. (i)
Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Blantyre, L. Scott ; Zomba, Whyte ; Livingstone ;
(2) Mweru, Carson.
Scutellaria sp. (2) Carson.
Stachys aethiopica, L. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Stachys sp. (i) Buchanan.
Lcucas martinicdisis, R. Br. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
L. Nyassae, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
L. milanjiana, Gtirke (L. glabrata, Britten, non R. Br.) (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
L. decadonta, Giirke. (i) Buchanan.
Lcucas spp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Buchanan; (2) Nutt; Carson; Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
NYCTAGINEAE.
Mirabilis Jalapa, L. (i) Shire Valley, Meller; Mananja hills, Kirk.
Jioerhaat'in rcpens, L., var. asccndcns, Willd. (i) Buchanan.
/>'. filiiinl><t£incti, Cav. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
/.'. Hurchellii, Choisy. (i) Shire Valley, Waller.
266 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
ILLECEBRACEAE.
i sp. (3) Serpa Pinto.
AMARANTACEAE.
Celosia argentea, L. (2) Carson.
C. Schweinfurthii, Schinz. (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott.
C. trigyna, L. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller ; Mlanje and Chiradzulu, Whyte ;
Blantyre, Last.
Celosia spp. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Amarantiis Blitnm, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
A. Thunbergii, Moq. (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott.
A. caiedatiis, L. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Mpatamanga, Shire River, Kirk ; (2) North
Nyasaland, L. Scott.
Centema Kirkii, Hook. fil. (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk; Elephant Marsh, Shire River, L.
Scott ; Buchanan.
Cyathula cylindrica, Moq. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
C. globulifera, Moq. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Mpata-
manga, on Shire River, Kirk.
Pu.palia lappacea, Moq. (i) Buchanan.
Aema lanata, Juss. (i) Buchanan.
A. javanica, Juss. (i) Shire Highlands, and throughout the Mananja and Shire hills,
Buchanan, Meller and L. Scott.
Psilotrichum spp. (i) Blantyre, Buchanan and Last ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Achyranthes aspera, L. (i) Blantyre, Descamps ; Chiradzulu, Whyte ; (2) Carson ; var.
argentea, Lam. (2) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Achyranthes sp. (2) Carson.
Alternanthera sessilzs, R. Br. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) North Nyasa, L. Scott.
A. nodiflora, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
CHENOPODIACEAE.
Chcnopodiujii Botrys, L. (i) Buchanan ; var. C. procerum, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
PHYTOLACCACEAE. .
Phytolacca abyssintca, Hoffm. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan.
POLYGONACEAE.
OxygoniDii atriplicifoliiun, Baker (Ccntogomun atriplicifolium, Meisn.), var. O. sinii-
atuni, Engl. (i) Lake Chilwa, Kirk.
Polygonum Poiretii, Meisn. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
P. plcbchnii, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
P. senegalensc, Meisn. (i) Banks of Shire River, Kirk ; (2) North Nyasa, L. Scott.
P. tomentosuiii, Willd. (i) Buchanan.
P. serrielatitin, Lag. (i) Zomba, Whyte ; (2) Lake Nyasa, L. Scott.
P. barbatum, L. (i) Buchanan ; Lake Nyasa, Scott-Elliot.
P. tristachyiiin, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
P. glabrum, Willd. (i) Upper Shire, Scott-Elliot.
P. lanigcrum, R. Br. (i) Upper Shire, Scott-Elliot ; Lower Shire Valley, Meller;
Lake Chilwa, Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron.
P. lapathifolium, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller.
P. alatinn, Hamilt. (i) Buchanan.
P. strigosuin, R. Br. (i) Buchanan.
Ritmex nepalensis, Spreng. (i) Buchanan.
R. abyssinicus, Jacq. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron; Buchanan.
R. maderensis, Lowe. (2) Carson ; Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 267
PODOSTEMACEAE.
Hydrostachys polymorpha, Klotzsch. (i) Tributary of Shire to north-east of Katunga,
Kirk ; Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan.
Sphaerothylax sp. (i) Blantyre, Last.
PlPERACEAE.
Piper capense, L. fil. (i) Chiradzulu and Zomba, Whyte; Buchanan.
Pepcromia reflexa, Dietr. (i) Mlanje, McClounie and Whyte; Zomba, Whyte; Buchanan.
LAURACEAE.
Cassytha guincen si's, S. et T. (i) Buchanan.
PROTEACEAE.
Protea Nyasae, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
P. abyssinica, Willd. (i) Blantyre, L. Scott; Buchanan; (2) Nutt ; (4) Batoka country,
Kirk.
Protea spp. (i) Marianja hills, Meller ; Buchanan; Katunga, Kirk; (2) Higher plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Faurea speciosa, Welw. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte.
Faurea sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller; near Chiradzulu, Kirk; Buchanan; (4) Batoka
country, Kirk.
THYMELAEACEAE.
Arthrosolenflavus, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Blantyre, L. Scott ; (2) Nutt.
A. glaucescens, Oliv. (2) Carson.
Arthrosolen spp. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk and Meller ; Last ; Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
Gnidia Buchananii, Gilg. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu and Mananja hills, Meller.
G. microcephala, Meisn. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte; Zomba and east end of Lake
Chilwa, Meller.
G. apiculata, Gilg. (i) Buchanan.
G. fastigiata, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Gnidia spp. (i) Foot of Chiradzulu, Kirk; Blantyre, L. Scott; Sochi, Kirk; Buchanan;
(2) Carson ; Upper and Lower plateaux, north of Lake Nyasa. J. Thomson ; Nutt.
Lasiosiplion spp. (i) Buchanan; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson;
(4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Peddiea longipediccllata, Gilg. (i) Buchanan.
LORANTHACEAE.
Loranthus iinccmcnsis, Baker. (2) Mweru, Carson.
Loranthus spp. (i) Lower Shire, Meller; Zomba, Kirk; Buchanan; (2) Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson.
SANTALACEAE.
Thcsium nigricans, Rendle. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
T. whyteanitm, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Thesiitm spp. (i) Foot of Chiradzulu, Kirk ; Blantyre and Matope, L. Scott ; Buchanan ;
Mlanje, McClounie ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Colpoon sp. (i) Buchanan.
Osyridocarpus scandens, Engl. (i) Katunga, Kirk.
EUPHORBIACEAE.
Euphorbia scordi/olia, Jacq. (i) Buchanan.
E. zainbesiaca, Benth. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Buchanan ; Zomba and east end of Lake
Chilwa, Meller ; (2) Mweru, Carson.
E. Grantii, Oliv. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
268 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
EUPHORBIACEAE.
Euphorbia u>hyteana, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
E. shirensis, Baker fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
E. indica, Lam. (4) Menyharth.
Euphorbia spp. (i) Above Elephant Marsh and Murchison Falls, Shire River, and
Mananja hills, Meller ; Katunga, Kirk ; west shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; Buchanan ;
(2) Karonga, L. Scott ; Carson.
Synadenium Grantii, Hook. fil. (4) Menyharth.
Synadcninm sp. (2) Carson.
Bridelia micrantha, Baill. (i) Buchanan.
Briddia sp. (i) Zomba, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Phyllantkus nummulariaefolius, Poir. (i) Blantyre, Last.
P. leucanthus, Pax. (i) Buchanan.
P. maderaspatemis, L. (i) Above Elephant Marsh, on River Shire, L. Scott.
P. hystcracanthus, Muell.-Arg. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
P. rotundifolius, Willd. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; var. leitcocaly.i; Muell.-Arg. (i) Mlanje,
Whyte.
Phyllanthus spp. (i) Buchanan; Blantyre, L. Scott; Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Karonga, L.
Scott ; Carson ; Nutt ; (4) Menyharth.
Securinega obovata, Muell.-Arg. (4) Menyharth.
Uapaca nitida, Muell.-Arg. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
U. kirkiana, Muell.-Arg. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Uapaca spp. (i) Buchanan.
Antidesma spp. (i) Shire River, Kirk ; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
Jatropha Curcas, L. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie ; (4) Menyharth.
Jatropha sp. (2) Carson.
Croton macrostachyus, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
Croton spp. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Cluytia richardiana, Muell.-Arg. (t) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyte.
Cluytia sp. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Caperonia spp. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Buchanan.
Cephalocroton sp. (i) Buchanan.
Micrococca Mercurialis, Benth. (i) Elephant Marsh, on Shire River, L. Scott.
Acalypha bcnguelensis, Muell.-Arg. (i) Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte.
A. villicauiis, A. Rich, (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte;
Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
A. pilosfachya, Hochst. (i) Mpatamanga, on Shire River, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Chiradzulu,
Whyte ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Acalypha spp. (i) Buchanan.
Alchornea sp. (i) Buchanan.
Neoboutinia africana, Muell.-Arg. (l) Zomba, Whyte.
Mallotus Mclleri, Muell.-Arg. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Macaranga spp. (i) Buchanan.
Ricinus coininunis, L. (i) Lower Valley of Shire, Meller.
Tragia mitis, Hochst. (4) Menyharth.
Tragia sp. (i) Shire River above Elephant Marsh, L. Scott.
Dalechampia sp. (i) Lower Shire River, Kirk ; (4) Menyharth.
Maprounea sp. (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Excoecaria sp. (i) Buchanan.
URTICACEAE.
Trema spp. (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Meller and Kirk.
Dorstcnia Bitchananii, Engler. (i) Buchanan.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 269
URTICACEAE.
Dorstcnia Wallcri, Hemsl. (i) Marianja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Dorstenia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Fiats capreaefolia, Del. (i) Island in River Shire, near Mbenje, L. Scott.
Fiats spp. (i) Katunga, Shire Valley, L. Scott; Buchanan; Kankanje, Kirk; (2)
Karonga, L. Scott.
Treculia sp. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Myrianthus sp. (i) Buchanan.
Urtica sp. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte.
J'lcitrya aestuans, Gaudich. (i) Buchanan.
Fleurya sp. (i) Shire Valley, L. Scott ; (4) Menyharth.
Urera sp. (i) Buchanan.
Girardinia heterophylla, Dene, (i) Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Waller ; Chiradzulu, Kirk.
Girardinia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Pilea sp. (i) Buchanan.
Boehmeria platyphylla, Don. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte; Buchanan.
Bochmcria sp. (i) Buchanan.
Ponsolzia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Pipturus sp. (i) Buchanan.
MYRICACEAE.
Myrica pilulifera, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Myrica spp. (i) Buchanan.
CERATOPHYLLEAE.
Ceratophyllum sp. (i) Blantyre, Last ; Lake Nyasa, Laws.
HYDROCHARIDACEAE.
Lagarosiphon Nyassac, Ridley, (i) Lake Nyasa, Laws.
Vallisneria spiralis, L. (i) Lake Nyasa, Laws.
Ottelia spp. (i) Luangwa, west shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; Blantyre, Last.
BURMANNIACEAE.
Biirtnannia bicolor, Mast., var. ufricana, Ridley. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa,
J. Thomson.
ORCHIDACEAE.
Liparis Boivkcri, Harv. (i) Buchanan.
Megaclinium Melleri, Hook. fil. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller : Mlanje, McClounie.
Knlophia callichroma, Rchb. fil. (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Kirk ; Zomba, Meller.
E. Nyasae, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
E, aristata, Rendle. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
E.praesfans, Rendle. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
E. milanjiana, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Mananja hills, Meller : Buchanan.
E. missionis, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Scott-Elliot.
E. Shupangae, Kranz. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk and Waller ; Blantyre, L. Scott; Zombn,
Buchanan.
E. longesepala, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
E. 't'cuulosa, Rchb. fil. (E. hionilis, Rendle). (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Shire Highlands,
Scott-Elliot.
Eulophirt spp. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk, Meller and Waller ; Mlanje, McClounie ;
Buchanan ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson and H. H. Johnston : Carson ;
Nutt ; (4) Sesheke, Holub.
Cyrtopcrn II 'nllcri, Rchb. fi). i M.manja hills, Waller ; Buchanan.
270 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
ORCHIDACEAE.
Lissochilus microceras, Rchb. fil. (i) Sochi, Kirk ; Mananja hills, Meller.
L. heteroglossus, Rchb. fil. (i) Upper Shire Valley, Kirk.
L. gracilior, Rendle. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
L. livingstonianus, Rchb. fil. (i) Mananja hills, Waller and Meller; Mlanje, Whyte and
McClounie ; between Matope and Blantyre, L. Scott.
L. arenarhis, Lindl. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk and Meller ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ;
Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) North of Lake Nyasa, L. Scott ; Carson.
L. Sanderson!', Rchb. fil. (i) Buchanan.
L. papilio naccns, Rendle. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
L. Krebsii, Rchb. fil. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
L. shircnsis, Rendle. (i) Sochi, Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
L. calopterus, Rchb. fil. (i) Lower Shire Valley, L. Scott.
L. Wakefieldii, Rchb. fil. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
L. dispcrsus, Rolfe. (i) Livingstonia (Collector not known).
L. brevisepalus, Rendle. (i) Sochi and Ndirande, Scott-Elliot.
L. milanjianns, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Lissochilus spp. (i) Buchanan; Mananja hills, Waller ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau,
Carson and J. Thomson ; Mweru, Carson.
Polystachya imbricata, Rolfe. ( i ) Buchanan.
P. Buchanani, Rolfe. (i) Buchanan.
P. shirensis, Rchb. fil. (i) Shire River, Meller.
P. sambesiaca, Rolfe. (i) Buchanan.
P. la-wrenceana, Kranz. (i) Buchanan.
P. villosa, Rolfe. (i) Buchanan.
P. minima, Rendle. (i) Sochi, Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Polystachya spp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie, Zomba, Kirk.
Angraecum alcicorne, Rchb. fil. (i) Mlanje; McClounie ; Shire River, Kirk.
A. chiloschistae, Rchb. fil. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk ; Blantyre, Last.
A. megalorrhizum, Rchb. fil. (i) Shire Valley, Kirk and Waller ; Buchanan.
A. -verrucosum, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Angraecum sp. (i) Buchanan.
Pogonia spp. (i) Buchanan.
Stenoglottis sp. (i) Buchanan.
Holothrix Johnstontii Rolfe. (i) Mlanje, McClounie; Zomba, Whyte.
Holothrix sp. (i) Blantyre, Last ; (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Peristylis hispidula, Rendle. (i) Buchanan.
Habenaria zambesina, Rchb. fil. (i) Buchanan.
H. siibarmata, Rchb. fil. (i) Katunga, Kirk.
H. sflchensis, Rchb. fil. (i) Sochi hill, Kirk.
H. Waller i, Rchb. fil. (i) Mananja hills and foot of Mlanje, Kirk ; Blantyre, Last.
H. praestans, Rendle. (i) Buchanan; Blantyre, Last.
H. buchananiana, Kranz. i'i; Buchanan ; Mananja hills, Waller ; Mlanje, Scott-Elliot;
(2) Nutt.
Habenaria spp. ( i ) Carson.
• vthis pleistophylla, Rchb. fil. ^i) Buchanan; Mlanje, McClounie and Whyte;
Sochi, Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Blantyre, Last.
/>'. pubescens, Harv. (i; Mlanje, Scott-Elliot; Blantyre, Last; Buchanan.
Hiachycorytliis temiior, Rchb. fil. (i) Blantyre, Last; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Satyriiim cheirophonun, Rchb. fil. (i; Blantyre, Last.
S. minax, Rchb. fil. (i) Blantyre, Last.
5. Buchanani, Rchb. fil. ( I ; Blantyre, Last.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 271
ORCHIDACEAE.
Satyrium spp. (i) Mpatamanga and Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Disa hircicornis, Rchb. fil. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk.
D. Waller i, Rchb. fii. (i) Mananja hills, Waller.
D. sombaensis, Rendle. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
D. hamatopetala, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, McClounie and Whyte.
Disa spp. (i) Buchanan; Zomba, Kirk; Blantyre, Last; (2) Higher plateau, north of
Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Carson ; Nutt ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Johnston.
SCITAMINEAE.
Kacinpferia aethiopica, Benth. (i) Buchanan; Mandala, Scott-Elliot; Mananja hills,
Meller ; near Blantyre, L. Scott ; (2) Karonga, Carson ; Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau,
H. H. Johnston.
K. rosea, Schweinf. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Lake Nyasa, L. Scott ; Buchanan ;
Lower Shire Valley, Kirk ; Shire Valley, Meller.
Kciempferia sp. (2) Karonga, Carson.
Cadnlvcnia spectabHis^ Fenzl. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; Buchanan; Blantyre,
Last ; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, H. H. Johnston.
Anwiniini sp. (i) Zomba, Kirk.
Canna //id/in, L., subsp. C. oricntalix, Roscoe. (i) Lower valley of Shire River, Meller.
Mitsa Biichnnani, Baker, (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk ; Buchanan.
J/. sapicntuin , L., var. J/. paradisiaca, L. (1,2, and 4) abundant.
M. livingstoniana^ Kirk, (i) Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
HAEMODORACEAE.
Sansevieria Kir/cii, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Cyanastntm sp. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, H. H. Johnston ; Nutt.
IRIDACEAE.
Moraea zainbesiaca, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Sochi and Katunga, Kirk ; Zomba,
Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie ; (2) Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, and
between Nyasa and Tanganyika, J. Thomson.
M. itn^usta, Ker. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
M. ventricosa, Baker. (2) Carson.
J/. Tlwmsoni, Baker. (2) Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
M. Carsoni, Baker. (2) Carson.
M. iridoides, L. (i) Mpatamanga, Kirk.
Artstea johnstontana, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
Dierama pendula, Baker, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, J. Thomson.
Lapeyrousia erythrantha, Baker. Mananja hills, Waller.
L. Sandcrsoni, Baker, i i; Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
L. grandijlora, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Buchanan.
L. kolostachya, Baker. (2) Carson.
Crocosma aurea, Planch, (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Addanthera bicolor, Hochst. i) Buchanan.
Gladiolus unguiculatus, Baker. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, J. Thomson ; Carson.
(i. Oatcsiiy Rolfe. (i) Mlanje, Whyte; Buchanan.
(i. Thomson}, Baker. (2) Higher plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
G.flexiiosits, Baker. (2) Carson.
G. utropitrpiirciis, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Waller; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
(i. Melleri, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller and Waller; Katunga and Mpimbi, Kirk;
Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte.
272 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
IRIDACEAE.
Gladiolus Buchanan!, Baker, (i) Ndirande, Buchanan.
G. gracillimus, Baker. (2) Carson.
G. tritonioides, Baker. (2) Carson.
G. Hanningtoni, Baker. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
6". zambcsi acus, Baker, (i) Blantyre, Last.
G. oligophlcbiiis, Baker. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
G. ercctiflorus, Baker. (2) Carson.
G. caudatus, Baker. (2) Carson.
G. brachvandrus, Baker. (2) Buchanan.
G. quartinianus, A. Rich, (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Gladiolus spp. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) Carson.
AMARYLLIDACEAE.
Hypoxis villosa, L. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, L. Scott and Scott-Elliot ; Mananja
hills, Meller ; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
H. obtusa, Burch. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
H. angiistifolia, Lam. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Cure uligo gallabatensis, Schweinf. (2) R. Nsessi, L. Scott.
Curculigo sp. (i) Buchanan.
Crinum subcernuum, Baker, (i) Shire River, Kirk.
Crinum sp. (4) Menyharth.
Buphane disticha, Herb, (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Shire Highlands, Buchanan and
Scott-Elliot ; (2) between Nyasa and Tanganyika, and upper plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
Brunsvigia Kirkii, Baker. (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, Scott-Elliot.
Cyrtanthus Wehvitschit, Hiern. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
Haemanthus multiflonis, Martyn. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
Haemanthus sp. (4) Menyharth.
Pancratium trinnthitnt, Herb, (i) Shire cataracts, Kirk.
Vellozia splendens, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
Vcllozia sp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa, Kirk;
Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot and Buchanan.
TACCACEAE.
Tacca pinnatifida, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-Elliot.
DlOSCOREACEAE.
Dioscorea Bnchanani, Benth. ( i ) Buchanan.
D. prehensilis, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
D. schimpcriana, Hochst. (i) Mpatamanga, Kirk; Buchanan.
D. dumetorum, Pax. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan.
D. bcccariana, Martelli, var. vcstita, Pax. (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-
Elliot.
LlLIACEAE.
Dracaena fragrans, Ker.-Gawl. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller; Buchanan; Zomba, Whyte.
D. elliptica, Thunb. et Dallm. (i) Buchanan.
Smilax- kraitssiana, Meisn. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk; Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan; Shire
Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Asparagus inrgatus, Baker, (i) Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte.
A.plitmosus, Baker, (i ; Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 273
LlLIACEAE.
Asparagus Paulo-guliclmi, Solms. (i) Shire Highlands, L. Scott.
A. piiberulus, Baker, (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
A. irregularis, Baker, (i) Foot of Chiradzulu, Kirk.
A. africanus, Lam. (2) Carson ; Nutt ; (4) Menyharth.
A. asiaticits, L. (4) Menyharth.
A. racemosus, Willd. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
A. Buchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Asparagus sp. (i) Buchanan ; Blantyre, Last.
Hylonome reticulata, Webb, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Kniphofin longistyla, Baker, (i) Zomba, Kirk ; Buchanan.
K. zombensis, Baker, (i) Zomba, Buchanan.
Aloe Buchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
A. Nuttii, Baker. (2) Nutt ; Carson.
A. cryptopoda, Baker. (4) Menyharth.
Eriospermum abyssiniciim, Baker, (i) Buchanan ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
E. Kirkii, Baker, (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and L. Scott.
Eriospermum sp. (2) Carson.
Bulbine alooides, Willd. (i) Chiradzulu, Kirk and Meller.
B. asphodeloides, Schult. fil. (i) Shire Highlands, K. C. Cameron, Scott-Elliot and
Buchanan ; Mlanje, McClounie.
Anthericum sitbpetiolatum, Baker, (i) Buchanan; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
A. Nyasae, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
A. milanjianum, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
A. Cameroni, Baker. (2) Carson.
A. nidulans, Baker, (i) Chiradzulu, Meller.
A. jacquinianum, Schult. fil. (2) Carson.
Anthericum sp. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Chlorophytum blcpharophyllum, Schweinf. (i) Zomba, Whyte; Fort Johnston. Scott-
Elliot ; Buchanan.
C. stenopetalum, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
C. brachystachyum, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
C. gallabatense, Schweinf. (i) Buchanan.
C. andongense, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
C. piibiflorum, Baker. ( i ) Buchanan.
Chlorophytum spp. (2) Carson ; (4) Menyharth.
Dasystachys drimiopsis, Baker, (i) Buchanan; (4) Menyharth.
Dasystachys spp. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Tulbaghia alliacea, Thunb. (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-Elliot.
Drimia robusta, Baker, (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
Drimia sp. (i.) Zomba, Kirk.
Dipcadi longifolium, Baker, (i) Lower Shire River, Meller.
Hyadnthus ledcbourioides, Baker, (i) Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa Meller-
Shire Highlands, L. Scott.
Eucomis zambcsiaca, Baker, (i) Mbami, Kirk; Buchanan.
Albuca caudata, Jacq. (i) Mlanje, McClounie ; Shire Highlands, Buchanan, L. Scott and
Scott-Elliot.
A. Buchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
A. \Vakeficldii, Baker. (? i) Lake Nyasa.
Albuca sp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; (4) Menyharth.
Urginea altissimn, Baker (U. innntimn, Rendle, non Baker), (i) Mananja hills, Meller-
Mlanje, Whyte ; Shire Highlands, L. Scott and Buchanan ; Mpimbi, Kirk ; Zomba!
Whyte ; (2) Carson.
18
274 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
LlLIACEAE.
rrginea Nyasae, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
Urginea spp. (i) Mandala, Scott-Elliot; (2) Nutt.
Sdlla rigidifolia, Kunth. (2) Upper plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, and between Nyasa
and Tanganyika, J. Thomson.
S. indica, Baker, (i) Shire Highlands, L. Scott.
5. inaesla, Baker. (4) Menyharth.
S. Buchanani, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
S. zambesiaca, Baker, (i) Buchanan ; (4) Menyharth.
Scilla sp. (i) Buchanan ; Zomba, Whyte ; Mlanje, McClounie.
Ornithogalum Eckloni, Schlecht. (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-Elliot ;
Mlanje, Whyte.
Ornithogalum sp. (i) Buchanan.
Androcymbhun melanthioides, Willd. (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-Elliot.
Ornithoglossum glaitcum, Salisb. (i) Blantyre, Last.
Gloriosa superba, L. (i) Marianja hills, Waller.
G. virescens, Lindl. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Menyharth.
G. Carsoni, Baker. (2) Carson.
. Walleria Mackemii, Kirk, (i) Mananja hills, Waller ; Buchanan.
W. nutans, Kirk, (i) Mananja hills, Waller.
XYRIDACEAE.
Xyris pauciflora, Willd. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Xyris spp. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
COMMELYNACEAE.
Commelyna benghalensis, L. (i) Buchanan ; (4) Holub.
C. zambesiaca, C. B. Clarke. (2) Carson.
C. latifolia, Hochst. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
C. africana, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; Zomba and east end of Lake Chilwa,
Meller ; Zomba, Whyte ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; Nutt.
C. invohicrata, A. Rich, (i) Blantyre, L. Scott ; Buchanan.
C. Kirkii, C. B. Clarke, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) Nyasa-Tanganyika
plateau, J. Thomson.
C. Forskalaei, Vahl. (4) Holub.
C. Bainesit, C. B. Clarke, var. glabrata, Rendle. (i) Zomba, Whyte.
C. Vogelii, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
C. Welwitschii, C. B. Clarke, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
C. nudiflora, L. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
C, subulata, Roth. ( i ) Buchanan.
C. albescens, Hassk. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Commelyna sp. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
Aneilema sinicum, Lindl. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
A aequinoctiale, Kunth. (i) Buchanan; Chiradzulu, Meller; Shire Highlands, Scott-
Elliot; Mlanje and Zomba, Whyte ; var. Kirkii, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan; var.
adhaerens, C. B. Clarke, (i) Mananja hills, H. Waller.
A. pedunculosum, C. B. Clarke. (4) Menyharth.
A. lanceolatum, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
A. dregeanum, Kunth. (i) Buchanan.
Cyanotis lanata, Benth. (2) Carson; var. Schwcinfnrthii, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
Cyanotis sp. (2) Nutt.
Floscopa rivularis, C. B. Clarke. (2) Nutt.
F.glomerata, Hassk. (i) Buchanan; Zomba, Whyte; (2) Carson; (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 275
PALMAE.
Elaeis guineensis, L. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Borassus flabellifer, L., var. Aethiopum, Mart, (i) Lower Shire and Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Raphia vinifera, P. de Beauv. (i) Shire Highlands, Kirk.
Hyphaene crinita, Gaertn. (i) Along the Shire River and at south end of Lake Nyasa,
Kirk.
H. ventricosa, Kirk. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Phccnix sp. (i) Matope, Scott-Elliot ; (4) Central regions, Kirk.
TYPHACEAE.
Typha angiistifolia, L. (i) Shire River, below Katunga, L. Scott.
'yp. (i) Marianja hills, Meller.
AROIDEAE.
Stylochiton spp. (4) Menyharth.
Amorphophallus spp. (2) Nsese River, North Nyasa, L. Scott ; 4 Menyharth.
Gonatopus Boivinii, Hook. fil. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk; Mlanje, McClounie ;
Buchanan.
Gonatopus sp. (4) Menyharth.
ALISMACEAE.
Liinnophyton obtusifolium, Miq. (2) Mweru, Carson.
NAIADACEAE.
Potamogeton pectinatus, L. (i) South-western bay of Lake Nyasa, Kirk; Livingstonia,
Laws.
P. obtusifoliiiSy Mert. et Koch, (i) Zomba, Whyte.
P. longifolius, Gay. (i) South-western bay of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
P. crispus, L. (i) Ruangwa, Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
ERIOCAULACEAE.
Eriocanlon sonderianum, Korn. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Eriocaulon spp. (i) Mananja country and Katunga, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Lower plateau,
north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson ; Nutt.
RESTIACEAE.
i sp. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
CYPERACEAE.
Pycreus flavescens, Nees. (2) Nsese River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
P. nigricans, C. B. Clarke, (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
P. inacmnthiis, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan; (2) Nutt.
P. Mundtii, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
P. sulcinux, C. B. Clarke. (2) Umbaka River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
P. capillaris, Nees. (i) Buchanan.
P. umbrosiis, Nees. (2) Carson.
P. spissiflorits, C. B. Clarke. (2) Mlanje, Whyte.
P. alboinarginatits, Nees. (i) Buchanan.
Juncellus alopecuroideS) C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
/. laevigatits, C. B. Clarke, (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
Cyperits intdicuulis, Poir. (i) Lower Shire River, Kirk.
C. compactus, Lam. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
C. angolensis, Boeck. (Rhynchospora ochrocephala, Boeck. i Mlanje, Whyte; Zomba,
Kirk ; (2) Nutt.
C. niargaritaceus, Vahl. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
276
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CYPERACEAE.
Cyperus amabilis, Vahl. (i) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
C. tenaX) Boeck. (i) Buchanan.
C. Haspan, L. (2) Karonga, L. Scott.
C. sphacrospennus, Schrad. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
C.flabeUiformis^ Rottb. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Great Elephant Marsh, Shire River,
L. Scott ; Buchanan.
C, sexangiilariS) Nees. (4) Menyharth.
C. Deckenii, Boeck. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
C.fischerianus, Hochst. (i) Chiradzulu, Meller ; Buchanan.
C. glaucophyllus, Boeck. (i) Buchanan.
C. lotrgifolitts, Poir. (i) Buchanan.
C. aristatus, Rottb. (i) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto ; (4) Menyharth.
C. distatis, L. fil. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot ; (2) Carson.
C, articulatus, L. (i) Elephant Marsh, Shire River, L. Scott.
C. schiveinfurthianus, Boeck. (2) Carson.
C. maculatus, Boeck. (i) Buchanan; (2) Umbaka and Nsese Rivers, North Nyasa,
L. Scott.
C. rotiindus, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
C. esculentus, L. (i) Buchanan.
C. radiatus, Vahl. (i) Great Elephant Marsh, Shire River, L. Scott ; (2) Umbaka River,
North Nyasa, L. Scott.
C. zambesiensis, C. B. Clarke, ined. in Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd Ser. iv., p. 53. (i) Mlanje,
Whyte ; Buchanan.
C. exaltatus, Retz, var. C. dives, Del. (i) Buchanan; Lower Shire Valley, Meller;
Elephant Marsh, Shire River. Kirk and L. Scott.
Cyperus spp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot; (2) Umbaka
River, North Nyasa, L. Scott ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
Mariscus coloratus, Nees. (i) Buchanan.
M. vestitus, C. B. Clarke, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
M. sieberianus, Nees. (i) Buchanan; Blantyre, Last; Mlanje, Whyte.
J/. hetnisphaericus, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan ; Mandala, Scott-Elliot ; Blantyre, Scott ;
Mlanje, Whyte ; Lower Shire Valley, Meller.
M. squarrosits, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
Mariscus sp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Kylliuga pungens, Link. (2) Karonga, L. Scott.
K. elatior, Kunth. (i) Buchanan.
K. alba, Nees. (3) Serpa Pinto.
K. aitrata, Nees. (2) Nsese River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Kyllinga sp. (Cyperus albiceps, Ridley). (2) Nsese River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Kyllinga sp. ( i ) Buchanan.
Eleocharis sp. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Fimbristylis dichotomy Vahl. (2) Karonga and River Nsese, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
F. diphylla, Vahl. (i) Buchanan.
F. exilis, Roem. et Sch. (i) Buchanan.
F. africana, C. B. Clarke. (i) Mananja hills, Meller; Buchanan; Shire Highlands,
Scott-Elliot.
F. zambcsiaca, Dur. et Schinz. (i) Sochi, Kirk; Blantyre, L. Scott; Kampala, Shire
Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
Bulbostylis schoenoides, C. B. Clarke, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
B. ciniMinoinea, Dur. et Schinz. (i) Buchanan.
B. sph aero carpus, C. B. Clarke. (3) Serpa Pinto.
B. capillaris, Kunth. (i) Blantyre, Last.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 277
CYPERACEAE.
Bulbostylis pusilla, Dur. et Schinz. (2) Nutt.
B. Biirchellii, Dur. et Schinz. (i) Blantyre, Last ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
B. abortiva^ Dur. et Schinz. (i) Buchanan.
B. oritrephes, C. B. Clarke, (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Bulbostylis spp. ( i ) Buchanan.
Scirpus articitlatus, L. (i) Buchanan.
S. littoralis, Schrad. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk ; Zomba and east end of Lake
Chilwa, Meller.
S. maritinnts, L. (i) Lower Shire River, Kirk and Meller.
.5". costatits, Boeck. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Ftdrena pubescens, Kunth, var. Kuchanani, C. B.Clarke, (r) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
F. Welivitschii, Ridley, (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Xutt.
/•'. iimbellata, Rottb. (i) Buchanan ; Mbami, near Blantyre, Kirk.
Fuirena sp. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Lipocarpha argentea, R. Br. (2) Nkonde country, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
L. albiceps, Ridley, (i) Mandala, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan.
L.piilchcrrima, Ridley, (i) Buchanan.
A scolepis protea, Welw., var. bellidiflora, Wehv. (i) Mandala, Scott-Elliot ; Buchanan ;
(2) Nutt.
A. anthemiflora, Welw. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
A. speciosa, Welw. (2) Carson.
A. data, Welw. (2) Carson ; Nutt.
A. capcnsis, Benth. (i) Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake
Nyasa, J. Thomson.
A. brasiliensis, Benth. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt ; Carson.
Rynchospora Candida, Boeck. (R. adsccndens, C. B. Clarke), (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
Eriospora Oliveri, C. B. Clarke, (i) Buchanan.
E. I'iUosula, C. B. Clarke, (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Ndirande, near Blantyre, Scott-Elliot.
Sderia pulchella, Ridley, (i) Buchanan.
6". ranota, Ridley, (i) Buchanan.
S. glabra, Boeck. (i) Buchanan ; Mandala, Scott-Elliot.
S. liirtclla, Swartz. (2) Nkonde country, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
S. catophylla Dur. et Schinz. (i) Buchanan.
S. Buchanani, Boeck. (i) Buchanan ; Shire Valley, Waller.
S. dregeana, Kunth. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan.
5. bulbifera, A. Rich, (i) Ndirande, near Blantyre, Scott-Elliot.
5. multispiculata, Boeck. (i) Buchanan.
.s'. melanomphala, Kunth. (i) Buchanan.
Sderia spp. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Carex boryana, Schk. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Carcx spp. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
GRAiMINEAE.
Paspalum scrobiciilatum, L. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Paniciiin sanguinale, L. (i) Buchanan; (2) Karonga and Umbaka River, North Nyasa,
L. Scott ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
r.brizanthum, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
P. Crus-galli, L. (i) Shire Valley, Meller; Buchanan ; (2) Umbaka River, North Nyasa,
L. Scott ; Carson.
P. coloniiin, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, L. Scott ; (2) Karonga, L. Scott.
P. indicuiii) L. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk.
278 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
GRAMINEAE.
Panicum nitdigluinc, Hochst. (i) Lower Shire, L. Scott.
P.paludcsiim, Roxb. (i) Shire River, Kirk.
P.peciinatum, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Buchanan.
P. itnguicitldtiun, Trin. (i) Buchanan.
P. itisigne, Steud. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan; Mlanje, Whyte; (2) Nutt ;
Carson ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
P.pUcatum, Lam. (2) Carson.
P. milanjianiim, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
P. serratum, R. Br. (3) Serpa Pinto.
P. maximum, Jacq. (3) Serpa Pinto.
P. nigropcdatitm, Munro. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Panicum spp. (i) Shire River and Mananja hills, Kirk; Shire River, Meiler ; Mandala
and Shire River, L. Scott ; Buchanan ; (2) Carson ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
Setaria spp. (i) Mananja hills, Waller ; Elephant Marsh, Shire River, Kirk and L. Scott ;
Buchanan ; Blantyre, L. Scott ; (2) Umbaka and Nsese Rivers, North Nyasa,
L. Scott.
Pennisetum Benihamii, Steud. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller.
P. wiisetum, Benth. (i) Buchanan.
Pennisetum sp. (i) Mananja hills, Kirk.
Cleislachne sp. (i) Buchanan.
Perotis latifolia, Ait. (i) Buchanan.
Imperata arundinacea, Cyr. (i) Buchanan ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
Sac chant m piirpuratum, Rendle. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte.
Saccharitm sp. (i) West shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk.
Hemarthria compressa, R. Br. (i) Lower Shire, L. Scott.
Hemarthria sp. (i) Elephant Marsh, Shire River, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (2) Nsese River,
North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Eliomiriis argenteus, Nees. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Rottbocllia exaltata, L. (i) Lower Shire Valley, L. Scott.
Manisuris granularis, Sm. (i) Mananja hills, Waller ; near Sochi, Kirk ; Buchanan.
Vossia procera, Griff, (i) Elephant Marsh, on Shire River, Kirk.
Ischacimtm sp. (4) Victoria Falls, Kirk.
Andropogon ceresiaeformis, Nees. (i) Buchanan.
A. squainulatits, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
A. schirensis, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
A. Sorghum, Brot. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; (2) Nutt.
A. anmilaris, Forsk. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk.
A. hirtus, L. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. anthistirioidcs, Hochst. (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. pertusus, Willd., var. insculptus, Hackel. (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. Schoenanthus, L. (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. eucomus, Nees. (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. intermedius, R. Br., var. punctatus, Hackel. (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. Nyasae, Rendle. (i) Buchanan.
A. cymbarius, L. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
Andropogon spp. (i) Buchanan ; Mbami, near Blantyre, Kirk.
Anthistiria ci/inta, Retz. (i) Buchanan.
Anthistiria sp. (i) Maiianja hills, Kirk.
Aristida barbicollis, Trin. et Rupr. (3) Serpa Pinto.
A. i>estita, Thunb. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Aristida spp. (i) Upper Shire Valley, Kirk ; Buchanan ; (4) Batoka country, Kirk.
BOTANICAL APPENDICES 279
GRAMINEAE.
Sporobolus mimitiflorus, Link, (i) Buchanan ; (4) Holub.
S. leptostachys, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
S. indicus, R. Br. (i) Mananja hills, Meller.
Sporobolus spp. (i) Upper and Lower Valley of the Shire River, Kirk ; Buchanan ;
(2) Umbaka River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Agrostis sp. (i) Buchanan.
Tristachya decora, Stapf. (2) Carson.
T. inainoena, K. Schum. (i) Buchanan.
Tristachya spp. (i) Blantyre, L. Scott ; (2) Carson.
Trichopteryx leucothri.v, Trin. (2) Carson.
Trichopteryx sp. (i) Buchanan.
Klicrochloa abyssinica, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
Triraphis sp. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Chloris gay ana, Kunth. (i) Chiromo, L. Scott.
C. radiata, Sw. (i) Buchanan.
C. petraca, Thunb. (3) Serpa Pinto.
C. breviseta, Benth. (2) Umbaka River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Chloris spp. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Kirk and Meller.
Harpechloa altera, Rendle. (i) Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie.
Elcusine indica, L. (i) Elephant Marsh, on Shire River, Kirk ; Buchanan ; Katunga, L.
Scott ; (2) Umbaka River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Leptochloa uniflora, Hochst. (i) Buchanan.
L. chinensis, Nees. (i) Elephant Marsh, on Shire River, Kirk.
Leptochloa sp. (i) Lower Shire Valley, L. Scott.
Schniidtia quinqueseta, Benth. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Triodia sp. (i) Buchanan.
Phragmites communis, Trin. (i) Lower Shire Valley, Meller ; near Blantyre, L. Scott.
Phraginitcs sp. (i) Buchanan.
Koeleria cristata, Pers. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Buchanan.
Eragrostis nainaquensis, Nees. (2) Umbaka River, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
E. nindensis, Ficalho et Hiern. (3) Serpa Pinto.
E. major, Host, (i) Buchanan.
E.elata, Munro. (3) Serpa Pinto.
E. aspera, Nees. (i) Buchanan.
E. giitnniifliia, Nees. (3) Serpa Pinto.
E. Lnppiila, Nees. (3) Serpa Pinto.
E. obtusa, Munro. (3) Serpa Pinto.
Eragrostis spp. (i) Mananja hills, Meller ; Buchanan ; Mlanje, Whyte ; (2) Umbaka
and Ouaqua Rivers, North Nyasa, L. Scott.
Festitca niilanjiana, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte ; Buchanan.
F. costata, Nees. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Broinus milanjianus, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Oxytenanthera sp. (i) Mbami and Blantyre, Lake Chihva, and Katunga, Kirk.
CONI FERAE.
Podocarpits milanjiana, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte.
Widdringtonia Whytei, Rendle. (i) Mlanje, Whyte and McClounie ; Zomba, Whyte.
GNETACEAE.
Gnetuin africanum, Welw. (i) Buchanan.
280 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA
CRYPTOGAMS.
LYCOPODIACEAE.
Lycopodiinu dacrydioides, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
L. cernuitm, L. (i) Buchanan.
SELAGINELLACEAE.
SclagincUa versicolor, Spring, (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
S. molliceps, Spring, (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan.
S. Vogelii, Spring. (2) Carson.
EQUISETACEAE.
Eqiiisetum elongatum, Willd. (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan.
SALVINIACEAE.
Azolla pinnata, R. Br. (i) Lake Nyasa, Laws.
FlLICES.
Gleichenia polypodioides, Sm. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
G. dichototna, Hook. (2) Nutt.
Cyathea Dregei, Kze. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Nutt.
C. Thomsoni^ Baker. (2) Lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, J. Thomson.
C. zambesiaca, Baker, (i) Buchanan.
Hymcnophylhim australe, Willd. (i) Buchanan.
Davallia thecifera, H. B. K. (i) Buchanan.
D. Speluncae, Baker. (2) Carson.
Cheilanthes Schimperi, Kze. (i) Buchanan.
C. imtltifida, Sw. (i) Mlanje, McClounie.
Pellaea hastata, Link, (i) Buchanan.
P. dura, Willd. (i) Shire Highlands. Scott-Elliot.
P. Calomelanos, Link. (3) Serpa Pinto.
P. doniana, Hook, (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
P. pectiniformis, Baker ; (2) Nutt.
Pteris quadriaurita, Retz. (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot and Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Pt. biaurita, L. (2) Carson.
Pt. flabellata, Thunb. (2) Carson.
Pt. cretica, L. (i) Buchanan.
Pt. atrovirens, Willd. (2) Carson.
Adiantmn aethiopicuin, L. (i) Buchanan.
A. Capillus-Veneris, L. (i) Buchanan.
A. caitdatiiin, L. (i) Buchanan.
A. kispidiihiin, Sw. (i) Buchanan.
A. litintiatiim, Burm. (i) Buchanan ; (2) Carson.
Lonchitis pubescens^ Willd. (2) Nutt.
Lomaria boryana, Willd. (i) Buchanan.
Actiniopteris radiata, Link, (i) Buchanan.
Aspleninm Sandersoni, Hook, (i) Shire Highlands, Buchanan and Scott-Elliot.
A. Mannii, Hook, (i) Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
A. anisophylluiu, Kze. (i) Chiradzulu, Whyte ; Shire Highlands, Scott-Elliot.
A. h/inilatitni, Sw. (i) Buchanan ; Chiradzulu, Whyt 
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